Silent exclusion: the unheard voices in remote areas of Botswana

Type Journal Article - International Journal of Educational Sciences
Title Silent exclusion: the unheard voices in remote areas of Botswana
Author(s)
Volume 3
Issue 2
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2011
Page numbers 109-118
URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09751122.2011.11890015
Abstract
Education as a human right’ and ‘education for all’ are common themes sloganeered in every education
forum whenever politicians and bureaucrats gather. Little is however, heard from those who are denied educational
opportunities and of teachers in some of the educationally disadvantaged zones. One wonders if these slogans will become
stories of the past. The ‘voice’ of the children, parents and teachers in the hard-to-reach ethnic and often marginalised
minorities in remote areas cannot be ignored if the goal of improving pedagogical practices and the teacher education
programmes toward achieving ‘education as a human right’ and ‘education for all’ is to be realised. This paper, which is
part of a qualitative case study carried out in Botswana, argues that the ‘voice’ of the ‘child’ and the ‘teacher’ in the poor
ethnic remote communities is fundamental in improving inclusion. The study used 30 children, 15 parents and 15 teachers
as participants in individual interviews and groups discussions in schools in remote area settlements. The study concludes
that while open access to schooling in remote areas has increased, little learning takes place in the classroom and early
school withdrawal is high due to several competing in-school factors.

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