Africa-Press – Botswana. Of a total enrolment of 580 284 learners in 2025, there were 1 958 indiscipline cases, while of 569 450 learners in 2024, there were 2 088 indiscipline cases.
Presenting a statement before Parliament on the challenge of learners’ indiscipline in the schools, Assistant Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Mr Justin Hunyepa said these enrolments were for both primary and secondary schools in public schools.
Mr Hunyepa said therefore condemned the growing challenge of learners misconduct and all forms of disruptive behaviours that threatened the safe and respectful environment in schools.
He said learners misconduct included bullying, harassment and abuse of other children.
“We have seen some learners recently, especially after pronouncements on the abolition of corporal punishment, going viral on social media platforms, either ruthlessly beating other students or saying expletives and profanities that embarrassed the whole nation. This is unacceptable and action will be taken against wayward learners,” he said.
The issue, Mr Hunyepa said, had become a concern to MPs and stroke at the heart of the national education system.
“This week, some MPs expressed serious concern about this particular subject. In fact, this is a small number that is causing all this indiscipline incidents,” he said.
Mr Hunyepa said Botswana, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was obliged to conform to the provisions of the convention.
“We are also bound by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, in as far as education and dignity are concerned,” said the assistant minister.
He said domestically, the Children’s Act of 2009 and Education Act also safeguarded the child’s right to education in an environment that was safe and conducive for learning and teaching.
However, Mr Hunyepa cautioned that rights could not exist without responsibility, calling upon all learners to remember that they were not only future leaders, but were current leaders whose behaviour influenced the tone and culture of the schools.
Furthermore, the assistant minister urged parents and guardians to reclaim their central role in raising disciplined, respectful and responsible young citizens.
“Parenting is the first line of discipline. The home is the first school. Parents are the first teachers. If we get it wrong at home, with parenting, we will not get it right at schools with teachers as local parentage,” he said.
The assistant minister said it was a matter of concern that in some households, parenting rules had weakened drastically.
“Where parenting is weak, this will inevitably reflect in the conduct of children. A child’s values, discipline and respect for authority begin at home. If these foundations are not laid firmly, no school system in the world can fully compensate,” he added.
Mr Hunyepa expressed concern that serious cases of learners’ indiscipline seemed to occur more frequently in public schools than in private ones.
However, he said that was not to say that private schools were free from challenges, but it raised questions about the different learning environments, levels of parental involvement, resource availability and perhaps the expectations and cultures within the systems.
He said learners’ misconduct presented a challenge, not only for educators, but also for researchers to study and provide insights that could guide long-term solutions.
A contributing factor to the challenge, he said was the growing concern of drug abuse among learners.
“Drugs erode judgment, fuel aggression and undermine the capacity of students’ focus on their studies. We’ve seen clear links between substance abuse and rising cases of violence, bullying, vulgar language, absenteeism and academic decline,” he said.
In an effort to address some of the challenges, he said the ministry was working with law enforcement officers, the ministries of Health, Youth and Gender Affairs, Local Government and Traditional Affairs, as well as community leaders and civic society.
The assistant minister emphasised that prevention was key through awareness creation, adding that parents, teachers and learners should be educated about the dangers and legal consequences of drug abuse.
He said addressing this challenge also required a concerted effort by all relevant stakeholders, as the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education could not win the fight alone.
“We are all in it, one way or the other, as communities, including; Parents and Teachers Associations, Village Development Committees, Teacher Trade Unions, student leadership bodies, local authorities, Faith-Based Organisation’s (FBOs), civic groups, professional counselors, private sectors and MPs,” he added.
Discipline, Mr Hunyepa said, started at home and was reinforced at school and was sustained by the community.
For that reason, he appealed to all stakeholders to pull together to reverse the trend of gross indiscipline.
“This requires a collective responsibility school-based interventions and to strengthen discipline, the ministry will be scaling up guidance and counseling services and revitalising positive student engagement through clubs, such as scripture union, scouts, girl guides, which we now want to resuscitate,” he noted.
Furthermore, the assistant minister applauded teachers around the country who had started clubs or leadership structures in schools, including School Representative Councils, prefects and class monitors.
He said Peer Action Counseling Teams are also being resuscitated and empowered sports and cultural activities to channel energy into constructive avenues, since some of this negative youthful exuberance is due to idleness.
The interventions, he said, would be supported through inter-ministerial collaboration with other ministries.
Mr Hunyepa also expressed concern that the worsening student indiscipline also led to teachers’ low moral, adding that the ministry was in the process of improving the conditions.
He said some criminal matters resulting from student indiscipline had been referred to the social workers and police, adding that teachers, parents and professional counselors also played key roles in managing any signs of indiscipline.
“Every case is taken seriously and we will continue to ensure that schools remain safe learning and teaching spaces. Future interventions, includes National Indiscipline Response Framework for Prevention, early detection and case management and mandatory leadership training for student leaders on rights, responsibilities and peer mentorship,” he said.
Mr Hunyepa said other interventions were working with FBOs to promote values in education, integration of life skills in education, such as conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and responsible use of digital media.
He further called upon researchers, academics and policy specialists and the nation at large to join the ministry’s efforts and help find long-lasting evidence-based interventions and also commit to making discipline a shared national value.
The challenge of student indiscipline, Mr Hunyepa said was not insurmountable, but the solution lied in a united front of homes, schools, communities and government working together.
“Let’s s work together now with urgency and with commitment to raise a disciplined generation worthy of Botswana’s future,” he added.
Source: DAILYNEWS
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