Accessible Education for Disabled Children of Botswana
Shelagh Murphy
Disability and Poverty in Botswana
Most people know Botswana as an extension of South Africa with its lush grasslands and exotic animals. It’s classified as an upper-middle class country with high reliance on the diamond mining industry. While their wealth has risen, the distribution of it has not been exactly fair and their disabled children suffer its consequences the most. Although great steps have moved this country forward, poverty still exists and systematic change is needed.
It has been reported that an estimated 15% of African children account for the majority of disabled peoples around the world. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) states that approximately 4.5% of Botswana’s population live with a disability and finds the multidimensional poverty index at 20.84%.
Medical researchers, Jill Hanass-Hancock and Bradley Carpenter find that the current disabilities prevalent in Botswana are mental and sexually transmitted disorders ranging from around 13.7% as well as musculoskeletal, neurological, and sense organ diseases that range 6-10%.
Further, the UNDP underlines that extensive research has proven the great challenges that the disabled community faces socio-economically due to the increased poverty and lack of access to education, transportation and facilities.
Researchers Ermien van Pletzen, Bryson Kabaso, Theresa Lorenzo point, “to alleviate poverty by increasing the levels of social, educational, economic and political inclusion of people with disabilities” as well as educate and advocate for the basic human rights of these rural families.
According to authors, Khaufelo Raymond Lekobane and Thabile Anita Samboma, it is stressed that a child-centered approach to the Botswana poverty crisis, an example being the The Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle of the 2030 Agenda is the best response to solving these critical issues.
Justice for the Disabled
According to findings from UNICEF, few disabled children are enrolled in school, with barriers including poor infrastructure and no teacher training in special education. Another strong issue regarding improvised areas versus developed areas is the large gap of disabled student (only 2%) accessibility to higher education. Initiatives taken to close the educational gap with disabled Botswanans have included inclusion education policy-making, increasing special education needs for marginalized groups who experience anything from behavioral issues, unfortunate circumstances or language barriers. In 2015, the government passed a new gender National Policy on Gender and Development improving education equality with more resources and training while protecting women from any form of prejudice.
Policy and Action
The first policy of equal opportunity education can be traced back to 1977 with the Education for Kgahisano policy stating, “to ensure that all citizens of Botswana including those with special needs have equality of educational opportunities…to prepare children with special educational needs for social integration by integrating them as far as possible with their peers in ordinary schools…to ensure a comprehensive assessment that is based on the child’s learning needs, and not on group norms, and which is followed by individualized instruction.” This policy was a huge stride for inclusivity within the disabled community. Botswana children deserve to have all their needs met and their education customized to their learning modes. The personalization of learning is key for all children. All teaching methods should incorporate and consider diverse modes of learning. This policy enacted the assurance of equal opportunity education and assessment for all disabled and impoverished children.
Structural Improvements
ROMAN ODINTSOV
The physical and sanitary needs of disabled Botswanians which include “blindness and inability to use legs account for the greater bulk of disability” should initiate more access to clean water and bathrooms, ramps and easy access to facilities. In response, the Building Control Regulations were amended for infrastructure improvements such as wheel-chair accessible ramps, high-visibility strips and picture signage have been set in place. When students are better adapted to their environment, the learning process becomes enormously easier.
Quality Education
The government’s Vision 2036: Achieving Prosperity For All plan addresses that fundamental resources for human development are essential, further stating, “education and skills are fundamental to human resource development.” Although this statement means well, less than 43% of children aged 4-5 have accessible learning programs with the budgets lending more to tertiary education programs. Even with 98% enrollment, primary school children are failing at a high rate of 33%. Out if this number, children with disabilities encounter structural barriers, rural concerns and no specialized teacher training leading to lower enrollment in primary and secondary schools. Looking at higher education, around 2% of students are disabled, magnifying the alarming lack of concern around disabled aid.
Functional policies must be enacted to provide full-access to early childhood development, more teacher support, enhanced learning environments and monitoring. Luckily, the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education and UNICEF have partnered to push these efforts forward.
In another vein, UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Schools Initiative and Botswana have made it a priority to place more formative methods of education, rather than summative.
The Botswana Ministry of Education and Skills Development acquired the IEP (2011), placing “an inclusive education system which provides children [and] young people ...with access to relevant and high quality education which enables them to learn effectively, whatever their ... life circumstances, health, disability, stage of development, capacity to learn or socio-economic circumstances.”
How’s It Going?
In early 2025, the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Botswana produced a Temporary Teacher solution, allocating budgets to temporarily relieve the staff shortage. Yet with recent staff protests, it appears that the hopes for better pay and working conditions continue to be a cause worth fighting for.
Socioeconomics will always be attached to the quality of education the children of Botswana receive. Education’s importance in the country’s future wealth and prosperity has been noted in Vision 2036 and positive efforts have been made.
Are You a Global Citizen?
Living in a different country, a person may feel helpless in contributing to a cause their heart burns for. Many walk the earth feeling like the world’s problems are too big to make any real or meaningful change, but there is something that can be done.
As global citizens, people can take small actions that all contribute to mass advocacy. Things like calling congressional leadership on raising funds for foreign aid or increasing awareness by spreading articles like this one across social media create waves in giving rise to a better life for our neighbors in Botswana. The disabled children of Botswana must be recognized as an integral part of the country’s success.
