Communication strategies in primary schools in Botswana: interventions using cooks, teacher aides and learners

School leadership research in Botswana: Developing an indigenous approach

“…As we have noted already, the national school system in Botswana has received particular criticism for its lack of contextual sensitivity (Pansiri 2011;Mokibelo 2016), and we do not assume that the absence of clear central directives led to a dramatic reversal in circumstances and relationships. Indeed, as Khalifa et al (2019) have noted:…”

“…Despite the global shift towards decentralisation in education, and the widespread national-level adoption of policies for school-based management (Barrera-Osorio et al 2009;Burns & Köster 2016), many schools in the region retain strong top-down accountability structures with limited downward accountability to students and their communities, and limited room for professional discretion or school-level decision-making in key areas such as staffing and curricula (Majgaard & Mingat 2012;Mitchell 2017;Prew 2018;Tikly et al 2022). In Botswana, research has shown how centralised decision-making with respect to languages, curricula and the school calendar tends to exacerbate existing social inequalities and power asymmetries, as the national model of schooling fails to meet the needs of historically marginalised groups such as ethnic minorities, and those from traditional farming and fishing communities (Pansiri 2011;Mokibelo 2016).…”

“…As an upper middle-income country Botswana has a stronger economy than many of its neighbours in the region, yet with respect to schooling it faces similar challenges which result from the ongoing legacies of colonialism (Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2013; Tikly 2020). Research has demonstrated profound tensions and contradictions within the school system, including fundamental disagreements about the purposes of education from traditional and Eurocentric perspectives (Tabulawa, 2003; Pheko & Linchwe II, 2007), and centralised policy decisions which overlook local realities in terms of language, curriculum, pedagogy and the school calendar (Tabulawa 2004(Tabulawa , 2013 Pheko & Linchwe II 2007;Pheko 2008;Pansiri 2011;Mokibelo 2016). As we argue in this paper, the Covid-19 pandemic provides fertile ground for exploring school leadership in Botswana from an indigenous perspective.…”

Peer support in sub-Saharan Africa: A critical interpretive synthesis of school-based research

“…Students from linguistic minorities may also be reliant on peer support to access education. For example, in ethnolinguistically diverse parts of Botswana, there are schools where teachers do not share a common language with their students (Mokibelo, 2016). In the absence of national guidelines on this issue, informal communication strategies are used, such as students translating for their peers.…”

“…Evidence considered above shows students stepping in to compensate for inaccessible and exclusionary language policies, instruction and curricula materials, and building design practices, (e.g. Adzahlie-Mensah, 2013;Mokibelo, 2016). While this is laudable, it also prompts questions as to whether receiving instruction through home signs or ad hoc translations from peers is sufficient for progress towards educational policy goals.…”