EDUCATION

 It is the acquisition of useful knowledge, understanding, skills, and values. It is very

important for the development process as it helps the individual and the society to
reach their full potential.
 It is a lifelong process of learning in different situations.

TYPES OF EDUCATION
There are two broad forms of Education;
1. Traditional Education
2. Modern Education

These can further be subdivided into formal and non-formal education.

1. TRADITIONAL EDUCATION

It is a process which involves one learning about his /her own society’s culture, values
and beliefs. Children were being prepared for both adulthood and a place in society.

CHARACTERISTICS
 Knowledge is passed on by word of mouth that is orally.
 All parents have the responsibility of teaching children the customs, values and norms
of the society.
 Education is gender based i.e women taught girls while men taught boys.
 Learning takes place everywhere.
 Most of the education is practically based, with the young copying from the old.
 Specialised skills are a closely guarded family secret with them being passed on from
parent to child. e.g Pottery, traditional medicine, blacksmith, witchcraft, etc.
 Emphasis is on social responsibilities for both boys and girls; For example,
Boys were expected to;
- respect elders, provide for the family, plough fields, look after cattle and hunt.
Girls were expected to;
- respect elders and their husbands, look after crops and perform domestic duties such
as washing, cooking, child rearing etc, bear children for their husbands and the
tribe.

Children were taught through stories, poetry, songs, dances, ceremonies proverbs,
riddles, tribal legends and rituals.

Children also learnt about their physical environment as they became in contact with it
through herding cattle, hunting and cultivating crops.

This kind of education takes place everyday, as people in the community pass on their
knowledge to the children. This can be termed informal traditional education. Many
African societies also had separate initiation schools for girls and boys which one can
term formal traditional education. Eg. Bogwera and Bojale in Botswana.

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Advantages of traditional education

 Customs and values were passed down from one generation to another as a result
societies were kept stable and culture preserved.
 Learning particular roles in societies meant that everyone felt they belonged to the
community as a result fitted well in the society and knew what was expected of them.
 People learnt to be proud of their traditional culture.
 It taught children to respect their tradition.
 It was a more practical education that enabled children to acquire survival skills such
as crafts, cooking and hunting.
 It was cheap to run as no advanced infrastructure or technology was needed.

Disadvantages of traditional education

 Boys and girls were expected to learn skills based on gender rather than on their
natural abilities.
 Knowledge was static as instruction was practical without any theoretical thinking
 Traditional education often looked to the past, rather than the future.
 People were not taught how to adapt to change or solve new problems but were rather
taught to stick to their traditions
 The Initiation schools teaching led to harsh treatment of learners which sometimes led
to serious injuries or even death.
 It is difficult to keep knowledge forever as traditional education is not written but
orally taught therefore it suffers distortion and forgetfulness
 Boys and girls learnt to behave exactly like their fathers and mothers.

Traditional education is inadeqaute to ensure development. With population increase and

economic modernisation, it is increasingly becoming difficult for those without a modern
formal education to find jobs and to have a healthy standard of living.

2. MODERN EDUCATION

This is education that focuses on the written word, which means there is now a greater
emphasis on literacy (reading and writing). Today education is seen as a passport to
modern life

Modern education can be divided into two main systems:

1. Formal education
2. Non-formal education

1.Formal education
This refers to the learning that takes place in schools and training institutions. It has set
out skills or knowledge which can be tested and graded through examinations.

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Provision of education in a country can be measured by using:
 The literacy rate (% of people who can read and write).
 The primary and secondary school enrolment.
 The number of students attending universities or other institutions for further studies.
 Teacher-pupil ratio

CHARACTERISTICS
 It is based on reading and writing as a means of passing on information.
 It is a well-planned process with distinct stages eg primary, secondary etc.
 There are specially trained teachers for each stage.
 Learning takes place in institutions e.g colleges, schools.
 Pupils are taught both local and global issues.
 There are strict age requirements.
 Education is Co-educational, ie. Both boys and girls attend the same schools and
taught the same skills.
 The curriculum is wide, ie. Many subjects are offered.

The role /advantages / importance of modern formal education

 It gives people self-esteem and self-confidence as they develop their unique abilities.
 It helps each person to reach his or her full potential.
 It teaches people problem solving and decision making skills.
 It makes people more adaptable to change.
 It encourages people to participate in politics and development.
 Improves the literacy rate (% of people who can read and write).
 It gives people equal access to job opportunities.
 It trains people for an appropriate career.
 It teaches everyone how to read and write.
 It creates awareness on local and global issues.

Without education particularly literacy, the rate of development remains slow. An

illiterate person is likely to be poor, unemployed, hungry and vulnerable to disease. This
in turn leads to underdevelopment of a country, as the human resources in the country
fails to reach their full potential.

Vicious circle of underdevelopment

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 Lack of resources

Lack of money for

development Lack of educational
UNDER-
DEVELOPMENT
achievement

poverty

lack of trained
and skilled workers

When education achieves the roles that it is supposed to, it has many advantages for the
individual and the nation. The World Bank states that the education of women is the most
important determinant of health; the infant mortality rate falls for every year a woman
spends at school. “If you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a
woman you educate a nation.”

Disadvantages of formal education

 The curriculum is based on the needs of the former coloniser, and the needs of the
local community are sidelined.( Euro-centric curriculum)
 Courses are based on overseas syllabus
 There is usually a short supply of trained teachers.
 It is expensive to run, as it requires infrastructure, manpower, books, laboratories etc
 The poorest suffer most as they are unable to pay for their children’s school fees .
 Lack of basic resources such as books lowers educational achievement.
 It encourages rote learning (memorisation) to pass exams, rather than practical skills
to improve people’s quality of life.
 It has a tendency to put more emphasis on acquiring Certificates at the expense of
knowledge and practical skills to improve people’s quality of life.
 It creates a lot of competition therefore leads to inequalities which creates socio-
economic classes i.e division between the rich and the poor

3. Non-formal education (out of school education)

This is a type of education that takes place outside school.

CHARACTERISTICS
 Learning takes place at any convenient place such as outdoors, in someone’s
home or work place etc.
 It takes place at any age
 Learning is on part time basis
 Teachers may be volunteers from the society
 Sometimes emphasis is on giving people skills e.g literacy, cooking,sewing etc.

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  Certification and examinations are less important in most cases.

Examples of non-formal education

a) Distance education
People can extend their school education by taking distance education courses; they can
use books and materials, which are sent through the post and internet.This is becoming
even easier with the growth of information technology eg Correspondence Courses:
BOCODOL, corresponding with Universities or high institutions of Learning.

b) Literacy programmes:
This involves teaching young people and adults who have been unable learn how to read
and write at school. Trained teachers or community members could be involved in
literacy classes.
c) Agricultural education
Agricultural extension workers visit farmers to instruct and demonstrate farming skills
such as growing crops, raising animal, applying fertilisers etc.
d) Health Education
Health workers, who are normally trained by nurses and doctors, teach people about
health issues. A specific important job done by health workers is educating mothers at the
ante-natal and post natal clinics. eg. Mothers are taught how to feed and care for their
babies and keep them healthy.

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO THE PROVISION OF EDUCATION IN

BOTSWANA
1. Vocational and technical training
This is the learning of specific skills such as bricklaying, plumbing, book keeping, dress
making etc that can help people gain employment and consequently help individuals as
well as the process of development .In Botswana we have VTC’s eg. Madirelo Training
Centre, Gaborone Technical College, Brigades
2. Job Shadowing
Job shadowing is work- based learning whereby students visit a work place and observe a
person do the work and can ask questions concerning that job.
The purpose of Job shadowing;
 To provide students/ learners with an opportunity to learn first hand about the world
of work
 To provide students with a chance to explore specific jobs/careers that interest them
 Exposes students to the realities and demands of the work place and expectations of
the employer
 It is strategy that prepares students for employment
 Opens students minds to non-academic pursuits such as skilled trades which are good
yet often looked down upon

4. On the Job Training

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This is training that takes place at work through workshops and seminars. This is done to
improve employees’ skills and accommodate changes.

3. Informal education
This refers to what we learn from our families and friends through interacting with them
in everyday life. This is very similar to traditional education, and it is one of the ways in
which we learn about our culture. This type of education is indirect as we learn things
without actually knowing that we are learning.

THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION ON THE

DEVELOPMENT OF BOTSWANA

It is the use of electronic gadgets such as computers and telephones which interact with
skills and knowledge to communicate, process, store, update, receive and send data.

IMPACT/EFFECTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

POSITIVE

 It ensures high productivity as work is done faster and also enables people to work
fewer hours.
 It also ensures higher productivity as machines can operate longer hours just being
monitored and controlled by computers.
 It has made possible production of products which can only be produced through IT
as a result life becomes easier. eg Credit Cards, air traffic control
 New jobs have been created with introduction of IT eg programming, network
managing
 The school curriculum has been broadened with introduction of a new subject
Computer Studies and also subjects like Design & Tech now use computers as part of
their syllabus.
 It is an important weapon to fight against crime as cameras scan shops, there are
speed cameras for those breaking traffic laws
 There has been an elimination of files which could easily be misplaced as information
is now stored in computers and there is easy access to it.
 There is also convenience of working at home therefore some people travel less to the
office thus reducing petrol consumption and air pollution.
 There is less/reduced wastage in Industrial production/process as machines are more
accurate than human labour.

NEGATIVE

 It leads to unemployment as use of IT replaces human labour when some aspects of

production are computerised
 The new jobs created by the use of IT are only for skilled and qualified people
 The storage of personal data held in computers have eroded people’s privacy

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 The gap is widened between those countries which are able to afford the new
technologies and those that are unable to afford the technology.

 Some children addicted to computer games have their social and educational
development affected as some become violent having copied such behaviors from
those games
 Credit cards are only for people who are working and have steady income so certain
people are unable to enjoy such a service
 People easily get into debts as they spend more that they can afford with the use of
credit card.
 Sometimes its harder to keep track of how much you have spent as statements are
sent once a month
 Hacking is also common- people gain access to other people’s computer system and
some make illegal transactions in the banks.
 Software theft-there is a tendency to steal software
 It can bring inconvenience if computer is fed with wrong information.

How Does IT contribute to development?

-storing information
-faster communication ie internet /e-mail
-computer studies on the school curriculum

Show importance of TV
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HOW EDUCATION CONTRIBUTES TO DEVELOPMENT

 Basic education improves worker performance in industry and agriculture. It provides

necessary skills for self-employment and entrepreneurship. Moreover it trains the
workers of the future.
 Education can help prevent diseases that are linked with human behaviour such as
AIDS.
 It can help prevent degradation of the environment because it creates awareness of the
environmental issues. Education also helps delay marriage; also females with basic
education tend to have fewer children than those with lack of education. The chances
of survival of children also increase with increased female education.
 Education is important in developing human resources. An educated person can take
part in the political, social and economic decision making in his country. Besides,
literacy encourages participation; it also helps the spread of technology.
 Education increases health education and chances of adopting family planning
methods thus reducing rapid population growth and its problems.

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 It brings about personal fulfillment and reduces poverty.
 Education produces people who can develop and invent new and appropriate
technology for their societies, and this is particularly relevant to developing countries,
which still have low levels of technology.

EDUCATION IN BOTSWANA

Botswana is a very good example of a country that has achieved a very rapid expansion
in education since the 1980’s. When Botswana got its independence in 1966 it was one of
the poorest countries in Africa. This also reflected in its education provision, which was
very low, more than 2/3 of the population were illiterate.

POLICY OBJECTIVES

The major objectives of education in Botswana are to:

 Increase educational opportunities.
 Give everyone access to education.
 Train people for all sectors of the economy.
 Promote personal qualities such as respect for national ideals, co-operation, self-
reliance, gender equality, concern for others.

Formal education in Botswana is organised on a 7-3-2 year system since 1998. This was a
reorganisation from the 7-2-3 system. It is projected that by the end of this year (2004)
50% of the students would be in senior secondary schools. There are 27 government
owned senior secondary schools at the present moment. Education has been provided at
Zero cost to all Batswana from standard one to form five until December 2005. However,
there has been the reintroduction of school fees at the beginning of 2006 in junior and
senior secondary schools.Junior secondary schools pay P300.00 per year while senior
schools it is P450.00 per year. Technical colleges pay P 750.00 per year.
In tertiary education, the government operates a system of grants and loans starting from
1995. The system primarily based on the manpower needs of different sectors of the
economy. Students studying technical and science-based courses receive more financial
support because they are regarded as essential to the development of the country.

Provision of education to a nation is very expensive because schools have to be built,

equipped, maintained and teachers have to be trained, housed and paid for their labour.
Private schools can alleviate the situation by working in partnership with the government.
Private schools are however, expensive since they are owned and run by business people
who are after making profit.

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS OF

HIV/AIDS

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Education is very important in addressing HIV/AIDS since both formal and non-formal
education make people aware of the cause, symptoms and the ways of transmission and
the effects of HIV/AIDS. Most subjects in schools include topics on AIDS. Others learn
by reading books, newspapers, listening to the radio, and watching television. People
know how to prevent this disease through education.

Those who take care of HIV/AIDS patients are taught different preventive measures that
they should apply to avoid being infected by the disease. The search for the HIV cure
requires education because people have to do research in different ways for example
experimenting by administering the medicine on monkeys. Anti-retro viral drugs have
been discovered through education.

The Ministry of Education has a TV HIV/AIDS program called TALK BACK which is
broadcasted every Tuesday from 1200-1300hrs. The Ministry of Education has tried to
equip all schools-(primary and secondary) with TV, VCR and DECODER so that all
schools record this program and teachers in turn teach students or allow students to watch
the program after school.

How else does education help in addressing the problems of HIV/AIDS?

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What are the effects of HIV/AIDS on the development of Botswana?

(i) Social effects

(ii) Economic effects

(iii) Political effects

In what ways does the Public help the government in educating the children? 5 reasons
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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

What is environmental education?

It is a lifelong process which encourages awareness, understanding and appreciation of

our surroundings.

Importance of;
 It helps children/students to be responsible for the environment they live in.
 Students will understand how the environment functions

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 Helps people to appreciate how much we depend on our natural resources to survive
and the need to conserve them.
 Environmental education supplies the tools needed to protect our environment for
future generations
 People need to have knowledge about their environment and how it works.
 People become aware of the effects of the environment on their lives and their effect
on the environment.

How does environmental education relate to sustainable development?

How does environmental education relate to conservation practices?

State the Conservation societies that you know

How does environmental education relate to vision 2016?

Vision 2016 states that;

 Economic growth and development in Botswana will be sustainable.
 Renewable resources will be used at a rate that is in balance with their regeneration
capacity
 Non-renewable resources such as minerals will be used efficiently
 There will be a fully integrated approach towards conservation and development.
 The key natural resources and assets will be distributed equally among the
population
 Communities will be involved in the use and preservation of their environmental
assets

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Education is very important in addressing HIV/AIDS since both formal and non-formal education make
people aware of the cause, symptoms and the ways of transmission and the effects of HIV/AIDS.
Most subjects in schools include topics on AIDS. Others learn by reading books, newspapers, listening to
the radio, and watching television. People know how to prevent this disease through education.

Those who take care of HIV/AIDS patients are taught different preventive measures that they should apply
to avoid being infected by the disease.
The search for the HIV cure requires education because people have to do research in different ways for
example experimenting by administering the medicine on monkeys. Anti-retro viral drugs have been
discovered through education.

The Ministry of Education has a TV HIV/AIDS program called TALK BACK which is broadcasted every
Tuesday from 1200-1300hrs. The Ministry of Education has tried to equip all schools-(primary and
secondary) with TV, VCR and DECODER so that all schools record this program and teachers in turn
teach students or allow students to watch the program after school.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

It is a lifelong process which encourages awareness, understanding and appreciation of our surroundings.

Importance of;
 It helps children/students to be responsible for the environment they live in.
 Students will understand how the environment functions
 Helps people to appreciate how much we depend on our natural resources to survive and the need to
conserve them.
 Environmental education supplies the tools needed to protect our environment for future generations
 People need to have knowledge about their environment and how it works.
 People become aware of the effects of the environment on their lives and their effect on the
environment.

How does environmental education relate to vision 2016?

Vision 2016 states that;

 Economic growth and development in Botswana will be sustainable.
 Renewable resources will be used at a rate that is in balance with their regeneration capacity
 Non-renewable resources such as minerals will be used efficiently
 There will be a fully integrated approach towards conservation and development.
 The key natural resources and assets will be distributed equally among the population
 Communities will be involved in the use and preservation of their environmental assets

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