Programme

Education

Every child has a right to accessible quality education.

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Situation

UNICEF Botswana is dedicated to ensuring that every child—regardless of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or circumstances—realizes their right to quality education.

Despite Botswana's remarkable progress in its development journey, challenges remain in delivering equitable and high-quality education. The Government's Vision 2036 underscores that education and skills are fundamental to human resource development, aspiring for a knowledgeable society equipped with outcome-based, quality education. However, a significant portion of the education budget is allocated to tertiary education, leaving pre-primary and primary education underfunded.

Early Childhood Education

Children under five years old represent 12% of Botswana's population, a demographic with immense potential for impactful early interventions. Yet, only 43% of children aged 4-5 have access to early learning programs. The country faces challenges in:

Expanding access to early childhood education (ECE).
Enhancing the quality of ECE programs.
Addressing insufficient ECE funding and the lack of a well-coordinated early childhood development (ECD) structure.

Primary Education

While 98% of children are enrolled in primary school, learning outcomes remain a concern:

About one-third of primary school students do not acquire basic literacy skills after 4-5 years of education.
Limited foundational knowledge results in low pass rates for the Primary School Leaving Examination, with approximately 33% of students failing.
The need for better teaching quality, curriculum delivery, and support systems is critical to improving learning outcomes and pass rates.

Secondary Education and Skills Development

Despite a 73% pass rate at the primary level, challenges in transitioning to secondary education persist.
Nearly two-thirds of students do not pass the Junior Certificate Examination, leading to low transition rates to senior secondary levels.
This education gap contributes to low skills development and high youth unemployment.

Inclusive Education

Children with disabilities encounter significant barriers to accessing and participating in education:

A limited number of children with disabilities are enrolled in primary and secondary schools.
Structural barriers, insufficient teacher training in special education, and disparities between rural and urban schools worsen these challenges.
In higher education, only 1.9% of students have disabilities, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.

UNICEF Botswana is dedicated to working with stakeholders to tackle these challenges, ensuring that every child, regardless of their abilities or background, has the resources necessary to thrive in life through access to quality education.

Solution

In partnership with the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education, UNICEF aims to achieve the following:

The education sector has a functional policy system that can effectively provide quality, relevant education.
Children from early childhood age have increased access to quality Early childhood education.
Children have increased access to quality and inclusive education so that they can thrive.

Systems Strengthening

UNICEF has supported the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education in enhancing its systems to deliver quality education at all levels. Key initiatives include:

School Profiling System: UNICEF has supported the development and piloting of a school profiling system in four regions. This initiative empowers school leaders and communities to use school-level data for targeted interventions and align these with national strategies. For example, this data helps identify schools needing urgent infrastructure improvements, additional teachers, or targeted learning interventions. The ministry plans to scale this initiative nationwide with UNICEF’s continued technical support.
Teacher for All Study: To address disparities in teacher allocation, UNICEF facilitated Botswana’s participation in the Global Teacher for All Study with support from Innocenti. The findings are instrumental in shaping policies to optimize teacher placement between urban and rural schools, ensuring equitable access to quality education. This includes recommendations for teacher incentives and improved deployment strategies.
Education Policy Updates: UNICEF supports the government in ensuring education policies are current and child-focused. This includes contributions to the ongoing review of the Education Act to integrate children’s rights and related priorities, as well as advising on inclusive education frameworks and gender-sensitive policies.

Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Recognizing the importance of early childhood development, UNICEF collaborates with the Government to expand ECD access through policy guidance and system strengthening. Key supported included the development of :

Comprehensive Integrated ECD Policy: Establishing a foundation for integrated ECD services that ensures alignment across health, education, and social protection sectors.
Early Learning Development Standards: Introducing quality assurance measures for diverse ECD providers, including government, private sector, and community-based organizations. These standards define the minimum requirements for curriculum, teacher qualifications, and facility safety.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Framework: Supporting the government in developing a framework to explore innovative approaches for scaling ECD services, such as co-investment models with private entities.
Early Moments Matter Campaign: Partnering with the Ministries of Basic Education, Health, and Local Government to raise awareness of ECD's importance. The campaign includes community outreach programs, media campaigns, and stakeholder workshops to mobilize action.

Quality Education

Since 2020, UNICEF has supported the Government of Botswana in developing a National Remediation and Enrichment Programme aligned with the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETTSP). This programme:

Originated from a comprehensive study involving learners, teachers, school administrators, and caregivers to identify barriers to quality education, such as overcrowded classrooms, limited teacher resources, and lack of parental involvement.
Is being piloted across all 10 educational regions, with plans for nationwide rollout. The pilot phase includes regular monitoring and evaluation to refine the programme before scaling.
Focuses on addressing learning gaps, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable children, through targeted interventions such as after-school programs and teacher training.

Inclusive Education

UNICEF continues to support the Government in the implementation of inclusive education as a model that accommodates the needs of all learners. Efforts include:

Implementation of the Inclusive Education Policy: Supporting the government in operationalizing this policy through capacity building and stakeholder engagement.
National Learner Service Level Standards: Developing standards for Special Education, guidance, and Counseling services to ensure quality and consistency. These standards provide quality assurance for learners' services.
Local Languages Policy and Pilot: As part of Phase 1 in education, the local language policy will be developed and implemented, along with the 13 identified local languages, to improve learning outcomes and retention, particularly for children affected by language barriers. This initiative included the development of teaching materials, teacher training, and community awareness campaigns.

Digital Education

UNICEF partners with the Ministry of State President and the Ministry of Child Welfare and Education to integrate technology into teaching and learning. In response to challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, initiatives include:

ICT Strategy Development: UNICEF assisted the Ministry in developing a strategy for incorporating information and communication technology (ICT) into education. This strategy includes mapping government programs and contributing to the Ministry's plan to ensure the establishment of digital infrastructure, provide training for teachers in digital tools, and facilitate equitable access to devices.
GIGA Initiative: This initiative connects over 100 schools in remote and marginalized areas to the Internet. It not only provides connectivity but also ensures that schools have the resources and training needed to utilize digital tools effectively.
Learning Passport: Launching the digital platform to provide access to quality educational content for learners nationwide. The Learning Passport includes localized content, interactive learning tools, and teacher support resources to enhance digital learning experiences.

Through these efforts, UNICEF Botswana underscores its commitment to ensuring that every child in Botswana has equitable access to quality, inclusive, and future-ready education.