REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA

MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT,LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

PRESENTATION BOTSWANA TEACHERS UNION TERTIARY SECTOR CONFERENCE

2-3 JULY 2021 (PALAPYE)

PRESENTED BY:

Olefile Mochotlhi
Deputy Director
Department of Skills Development

“ Unlocking new opportunities through engagement”

 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• SECTORAL BARGAINING FORUM

• The Department concedes that sectoral bargaining is very critical in

facilitating sound employment relations and providing a platform for
dialogue with employee representatives.

• The forum should be composed of representatives from all unions for

which MELSD employees are affiliated to.

• The proposal from the department is that the membership should be

composed of:
• Director,
• Deputy Director,
• Assistant Director
• HR officer from Cooperate Services

•Two representatives from each union.

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU

SCARCE SKILL FOR BUSINESS STUDIES AND ACCOUNTS

• 115 applications for attraction and retention allowance in respect of

business studies lecturers were received

• Reasons for non approval of the applications:

• Business studies is not listed as a scarce skill occupation

• The Ministry consulted the employer, Directorate of Public Service
Management on this matter and it was affirmed that business studies
lecturers do not qualify as they don’t perform accounting duties.

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• PAYMENT OF CARE TAKERS

• To date 248 officers have been paid caretaking allowance out of

the 303 applications received.

• The remaining 55 applications are being processed to verify if the

Officers qualify for payment of the said allowance

• Caretaking allowance should not be equated to acting allowance,

but a compensation for performing duties of higher
responsibilities.

• The calculations were done as per the position paper which was
approved by the Ministry management.

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• PAYMENT OF CARE TAKERS continu…..

Position Current Scale Allowance

(% of basic
salary)
Caretaker Deputy C1 20
Principal C2 40
C3 60
Caretaker Head of C1 15
Department C2 30
Caretaker Senior C1 10
Lecturers C2 20
C3 30
C4 40

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• DELAYED PROGRESSION AND STAGNATION
• There is a distinction between multi-grading and multi-titling of
positions.
• Multi - grading covers positions graded at C4/C3 which
stipulates entry for:
• Certificate – C4
• Diploma – C4
• Degree – C3
• Officers entering service at C4 will be entitled to salary
upgrading to C3 after completion of one year satisfactory
service at C4.
• Officers entering service at C3 will be eligible for promotion
after satisfactory completion of 2 years. Note that the
lecturers should be in possession of a teaching qualification

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• DELAYED PROGRESSION AND STAGNATION continu…..

• For multi – titled positions covers positions graded at

C4/C3/C2/C1. Entry to these positions can be at any of the
above grades.

• Promotion from C3 to C2 officers are required to serve a

minimum of two years. Furthermore, for this promotion to be
effected officer should possess the required qualifications and
satisfactory performance.

• Therefore movement from C3 to C2 or from C2 to C1 is on

promotion. By implication, moving to higher grades is not
automatic it depends on several factors which include
qualification, performance and having served a minimum of two
years in the preceding scale
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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• RURAL AREA SERVICE ALLOWANCE

• The Department has one institution whose officers qualify for RASA
• All officers at Kweneng Bophirima Brigade are currently being paid the
allowance. If there are specific cases they can be brought to the
attention of the Department.

• INADEQUATE ACCOMODATION

• Due to financial constraints faced by Government, the Department is

not able to meet all accommodation demands
• Currently there is no budget allocation for expansion/ building of new
houses or purchase/ rental of houses from Botswana Housing
Corporation.

• Minor maintenance of staff houses is on-going and done at institutional

level

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU

• OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER TRAINING

• The Department continues to develop and train officers. Currently
73 officers are on training for various programs in local and
external institutions. The officers on training are pursuing the
following programmes;
• Certificate in Vocational Education Training – 51
• Diploma level programmes – 18
• Degree level programmes – 5

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU
• STATUS OF BRIGADES REGARDING ACCREDITATION

• All thirty six (36) institutions and one awarding body under the
Department have been accredited for a period of ten (10) years.

• Submission of all programmes offered by the Department were

submitted to Botswana Qualifications Authority as far back as
2019 for accreditation.
• Currently thirty five lecturers are accredited as assessors,
• 23 are accredited as moderators,
• 10 are accredited as trainers while
• four hundred and forty three are awaiting evaluation of
qualifications from Botswana Qualifications Authority.

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 ISSUES RAISED BY BTU

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE/ESTABLISHMENT
REGISTER
• We concede that there are structural gaps in our institutions
especially Brigades.
• The Brigades do not have Senior Lecturer I positions graded at
D4 salary scale which creates a gap between C1 level and D3
scale.
• Despite this, no officer has been made to work extra duties. All
institutions (Brigades) have head of Department graded at D3
level.
• The Department is however, looking into ways of closing the
structural gaps

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 COVID 19 STATISTICS
COVID 19 COMPLIANCE UPDATES
• The Department has conceded to the Union request for touring
the institutions to ensure compliance to COVID 19 protocols.

• The inspections will be conducted from 12 July 2021

• COVID 19 test were conducted on staff and students and the

statistics collected are for a period of three months form March
2021 to May 2021:
Number of Number of Positive Number of
COVID 19 Tests Cases deaths
conducted

Staff 456 83 1

Students 1178 276 0

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RE A LEBOGA!

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