Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) is faced with a mammoth task of getting teachers to invigilate and moderate this year’s examinations. The teachers and the examinations body, BEC seem to be at a standstill over invigilation and moderation payments.
While BEC wants the job done, but under the conditions similar to last year’s, the two Educators Trade Unions- Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) and Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) wants to negotiate and adjust payments upwards before touching anything.
“We, therefore, by this correspondence appeal to members to observe the foilowing as per the advice of the two teachers trade unions; Ignore the time-lines for submission of coursework projects set out by the BEC until the issue of the coursework and moderation rates are resolved; Stop any process of soliciting marks from students for the purposes of the final examination until the issue of coursework and moderation is resolved; Cease to carry out both internal and external moderation for students projects until such time that the issue of the rates is resolved; Not to undertake Any Invigilation of extermal Examinations until the issue of the rates is resolved.” the two Trade Unions advised members.
The two Trade Unions holds that they have no agreement with the BEC, and as such no work from BEC will be carried out by the teachers. “Through this correspondence, we would like to state categorically that, up until to date, there has NOT been any agreement that has been reached between BEC and the two teacher trade unions regarding the 2021/22 rates of coursework and moderation. Parties (BEC and the two teacher trade unions) met on 20 September 2021 to engage on the matter, (coursework, and moderation rates) but could not reach any consensus.” The secretaries of the two trade unions explained.
While teacher trade unions hold that they are entitled to negotiate the coursework and moderation rates for their members with BEC as they have done for the past eleven (11) years with the Ministry of Basic Educabion, BEC on the other hand insists that they cannot negotiate with teacher trade unions as they do not have recognition agreement with the them, and that teachers are not BEC full-time employees, but rather, BEC only engage them as casual employees.
With the stalemate between the two (2) parties, which has halted the progress on BEC assessment and grading processes, the completing students’ examinations are just around the corner. The stalemate, if not resolved might cause a delay in examinations, marking, grading, and release of results.
