Duma Boko’s Parliament Address Leaves Primary Education Out of the Picture

Duma Boko used his address to Parliament to promise eggs, cheese and milk in public school meals by 2029. But the speech offered little attention to primary education, according to the report, which says it did not mention either “primary” or “curriculum.” The food pledge follows earlier promises about school meals. At a rally in Maun last November, Boko said pupils would receive breakfast and lunch “next financial year,” the article reports. At a workshop in Tlokweng last month, he spoke of eggs, yoghurt and other foods. The report argues that pupils have heard changing menus, while delivery remains uncertain. Boko highlighted other education initiatives in his address. These included the Duma Boko School in Gaborone’s Block 7, which opened in September with technology-enabled classrooms and capacity for more than 380 pupils. The school is presented as the first of 100 schools and clinics planned under a private-investment model. He also mentioned Bula Buka, a programme for young people who have left school because of limited places or unsatisfactory academic performance. The article contrasts those announcements with the absence of detail about a P654.4 million curriculum contract. It says the responsible minister described the deal as having “overhauled the curriculum completely,” while the presidential address did not set out its progress or explain when a new curriculum would be introduced. Caterpillar Hikuama, a Botswana Congress Party MP for Maun West and the party’s shadow minister for education, criticised the speech’s approach. He said education was being treated as procurement achievements rather than a human-centred public service, and argued that infrastructure, teacher welfare and classroom resources remained underfunded. The report also says the address did not revisit earlier commitments, including 12 new primary schools said to be under construction, work to reduce backlogs in classrooms, teachers’ houses and toilets, and plans for a STEAM-focused curriculum and teacher training. It notes that the speech gave no update on how many primary schools or toilets had been completed, or a date for the curriculum’s introduction.