Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
Subject specialization currently applies to teachers at the secondary level only. Primary teachers teach all the subjects, although some are educated as specialist teachers.
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
The national curriculum is developed and administered by the Department of Curriculum Development and Evaluation (CDE)17 within the MoESD. The goals of the curriculum are derived from national education policy. Instructional materials, including prescribed student textbooks, teacher’s guides, and supplementary materials for each grade, are used to enrich and explain the curriculum. Textbooks developed by independent publishing companies are examined by a Book Review Committee and then presented to the CDE for evaluation. The CDE recommends textbooks and provides primary schools with teachers’ guides. Schools have the latitude to choose textbooks from a list of approved textbooks. Additionally, the CDE has produced a booklet providing guidance for junior secondary school teachers on the development of instructional materials, teaching and learning methodologies, gender-sensitive content issues, and language use.
Some private schools are well-resourced with equipment and laboratories. Although there are laboratories in government secondary schools, they often are dilapidated, prohibiting classes from conducting experiments and resulting in their use as ordinary classrooms. There are no laboratories in primary schools.
Use of Technology
The availability of computers is very limited in primary schools. Most junior secondary schools (Grades 8 to 10) have computers or computer laboratories, but not all schools are equipped with these resources. Nevertheless, all students at the junior secondary level are required to take a basic computer course. Internet connectivity is very minimal, and limited connectivity is compounded by a lack of electricity in some schools. Calculators are introduced in eighth grade.
The mathematics and the science syllabi18 encourage the use of technology. Two of the aims of the three year integrated science and mathematics programs are as follows:
- Develop an awareness of computer applications in mathematics activities
- Acquire basic computer skills and an understanding of the significance of computers in the study of science and in science-related careers
Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing
Botswana’s Inclusive Education Policy19 alludes to accommodation for instruction, but accommodation is not implemented effectively due to large class sizes, failure to conduct timely learning difficulty assessment of students, and other hindrances. There is no policy on accommodation for testing, but the national testing body, Botswana Examinations Council, uses guidelines for accommodating students at the national examination level. Schools rarely offer accommodation for testing.