The Botswana Secondary School Teachers’ Union (BOSETU) has sounded the alarm on a growing crisis in the country’s education sector that threatens to unravel years of progress and undermine the quality of learning for thousands of students. At the heart of the storm is a government directive communicated via a Savingram from the Northeast Regional Director, instructing that temporary teachers who have served for over a year should not be re-engaged, that they be replaced by a fresh cohort, and that the recruitment of temporary teachers be halted indefinitely. BOSETU’s response has been unequivocal: this policy is not only short-sighted but exploitative, undermining decent work principles and risking catastrophic disruptions to Botswana’s education system.
The Public Service Act in Botswana limits temporary appointments to a maximum of one year, a provision intended to prevent exploitation and the casualisation of the workforce. Yet BOSETU points out that this limitation was never meant to justify a revolving door policy where experienced temporary teachers are discarded after 12 months and replaced by new, inexperienced recruits. This practice, the union argues, flagrantly violates the spirit of the law.
When a temporary appointment stretches beyond a year, it signals the existence of a permanent post that should be filled on a permanent, pensionable basis. Ignoring this reality perpetuates a form of labor exploitation that contradicts Botswana’s commitments under the Decent Work Country Programme and International Labour Organization conventions. This contractual limbo has led to a proliferation of temporary teachers, individuals who, despite their experience and dedication, remain on the fringes of permanent employment.
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BOSETU’s Secretary General, Tobokani Rari, has been vocally critical of the government’s approach, emphasizing that over 75% of schools in Botswana have expanded well beyond their original capacities. Many have doubled in size, creating permanent teaching needs that remain unrecognized by official establishment registers. The government’s failure to declare these posts has left schools reliant on temporary teaching staff, who are then inexplicably cycled out once they hit the one-year mark.
The consequences of this policy extend far beyond employment rights. The suspension of temporary teacher engagements threatens to severely disrupt curriculum delivery and compromise learner performance at a critical time. Botswana’s education system is already grappling with challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and uneven resource distribution, particularly between urban and rural areas.
Removing experienced teachers en masse could exacerbate these problems, further straining an education sector striving to keep pace with a growing student population. In response, BOSETU has called on its members to refuse workloads exceeding limits set out in the 2009 Establishment Register, signaling a willingness to resist policies that push teachers beyond sustainable working conditions. The union has urged teachers to report any coercion attempts to force them into excessive workloads.
This stance highlights a broader concern about teacher welfare and professional dignity, issues that have been under increasing scrutiny as stress and burnout rates among educators rise in Botswana. The government’s position on temporary teachers appears at odds with recent budgetary commitments and recruitment efforts aimed at addressing teacher shortages. For instance, reports indicate that the Botswana government planned to hire 24,000 new teachers by January 2026 to mitigate staffing gaps.
Yet the simultaneous halt on temporary teacher recruitment and the replacement directive suggest a disconnect between policy and practice. This inconsistency has fueled frustration among educators and unions alike, who see the recycling of temporary staff as both inefficient and unjust. Underlying this tension is a deeper structural issue: the chronic under-declaration of teaching posts in Botswana’s public school system.
Many schools have outgrown their original establishment numbers, but official registers have not been updated to reflect actual needs. This gap has forced schools to rely heavily on temporary teachers, perpetuating a cycle of short-term contracts that do not translate into job security or career progression. The failure to declare new posts also stymies efforts to professionalize and stabilize the teaching workforce, undermining educational quality.
The impact of this policy extends beyond labor relations into the very fabric of Botswana’s educational ambitions. The country has made notable strides in improving access to education and modernizing its curriculum, with initiatives to strengthen technical and vocational training. Yet these advances risk being undone if the teaching workforce remains precarious.
Experienced teachers bring continuity, institutional knowledge, and mentorship critical to student success. Their replacement with a revolving door of temporary staff threatens instructional quality and learner outcomes. BOSETU’s position is clear: permanent work demands permanent employment.
The union’s call for the immediate declaration of all permanent posts and the absorption of qualifying temporary teachers into permanent, pensionable positions reflects a commitment to both educational excellence and workers’ rights. This demand aligns with international labor standards and Botswana’s own policy frameworks aimed at decent work and social justice. The broader implications of this dispute also touch on issues of governance and policy coherence in Botswana’s education sector.
How can a government reconcile ambitious recruitment plans with directives that halt temporary teacher appointments? What mechanisms exist to ensure that establishment registers keep pace with demographic and infrastructural changes in schools? And crucially, how will the government address the concerns of teachers who feel caught in an exploitative cycle, their experience undervalued and their futures uncertain?
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