Botswana
Summary
Botswana is a unique country in Africa because of its sustained economic growth and political stability. Education is free, but not compulsory. While Botswana's government strives for universal education, there are barriers that must be overcome. In addition to overcrowded school facilities, the efficiency and effectiveness of teacher education is constrained by the centralized and hierarchical nature of educational administration. The Department of Curriculum Development and Evaluation is in charge of basic educational curriculum development with only a minimal involvement of teachers, teacher training institutions, and the University of Botswana.
Many of Botswana's problems exist because of the republic's rapid transition from a rural to a technologically developing country. While the problems are great, they do not appear to be insurmountable. The motto on the University of Botswana's Coat of Arms, Thuto Ke Thebe (Education Is A Shield), underscores the important role education has in the country.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Mannathoko, Changu. The Role of the University Of Botswana as a Teacher Education Institution: Current Developments in Teacher Education. The World Bank Group, March 1998. Available from http://wbln0018.worldbank.org.
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University of Botswana, December 2000. Available from http://www.ub.bw.
—Sherman E. Silverman
Additional topics
Education - Free Encyclopedia Search EngineGlobal Education ReferenceBotswana - History Background, Constitutional Legal Foundations, Educational System—overview, Preprimary Primary Education, Secondary Education