Dart, G., Didimalang, C. & Pilime, S. (2002) An evaluation of units at Botswana primary schools for children with mental handicap. Gaborone, Botswana Educational Research Association.

University of Notre Dame

Several barriers to education were identified in Botswana, with different authors and studies agreeing on certain areas of improvement.

Barriers to Education in Botswana

Kisanji, in his 2003 study concerning hearing impaired students in Botswana, identified some main barriers to curricular access (and gave suggestions for them as such): delayed language development, educator and teaching quality, absence of developed sign language and manual codes for deaf students, difficult, packed curricula, inappropriate and unavailable support materials and assessments, shortage of qualified educators, and poor collaboration with the home and within the Ministry of Education.

Kisanji's Identified Takeaways 

Kisanji, J. (2003) Situational analysis for the adaptation and modification of the basic and senior secondary curriculum for hearing impaired learners. Draft report. Gaborone, Ministry of Education.

Situational analysis for the adaptation and modification of the basic and senior secondary curriculum for hearing impaired learners

An evaluation of units at Botswana primary schools for children with mental handicap.

Based on Dart’s studies, his team identified several shortcomings in special needs education. Some were the late and improper identification of students with special education needs, poor teaching quality, which  did not include specialized provisions, and the fact that students spent the rest of their adulthood in the home following primary education. Interestingly, parents showed a willingness to help with their children's needs but were hindered by a lack of support from educators and administrators. Finally, there was an overall lack of resources and quality assurance.

Dart's Identified Takeaways 

Areas in need of improvement include a more accurate and timely identification and count of students with special needs, proper placement of students, specialized skill development in and greater resources for educators, and better inter-agency collaboration. Improvement of student curricula is also a must through better access to materials and a less intense workload. Furthermore, students should have increased opportunities to progress further and achieve in life, such as through vocational training. Lastly, NGOs should be given resources to help with many of the above improvements, and quality assurance should be done to check that special education provisions meets the standards.

Provision for Learners Takeaways

Across several texts, the conclusions appear to indicate significant causes of concern: a lack of curricula access, resources, educator training, administration communication, policy implementation, post-primary and secondary schooling support and opportunities, and an overall lack of provisions.

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