The first lesson for many reception class pupils in Boteti West is not reading or counting – it is learning to use toilets never designed for children their age. This is atleast according to a question tabled in Parliament last week by area Member of Parliament – Sam Digwa.
In his response, the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs Ketlhalefile Motshegwa revealed that only three of Boteti West’s 15 primary schools have purpose-built junior toilets, leaving reception class pupils in the remaining 12 schools sharing ablution facilities with older learners despite government policy requiring age-appropriate sanitation.
Digwa also questioned the ministry about the deteriorating state of school toilets and whether young children were being forced to use the same facilities as mainstream pupils.
Government admitted that only Motopi, Etsile and Mokoboxane have fully fledged junior toilets. The other schools continue to rely on facilities intended for older children, a situation the ministry described as a temporary measure caused by years of inadequate funding.
The irony is that government policy expressly states that reception learners should use dedicated junior toilets and should not share with older pupils. However, the ministry acknowledged that when the pre-primary programme was introduced, councils converted old kitchens and other existing structures into classrooms because funding was insufficient to build new facilities, leaving junior toilets out of the plans.
To address the problem, government has allocated P2.4 million for minor maintenance of school infrastructure in Boteti West. Repairs have been completed at several schools, including Baipidi, Moreomato, Khumaga, Etsile, Mmadikola, Xhumo and Motopi, while construction and rehabilitation work continues at others.
But the figures show the scale of the challenge. Eighty percent of primary schools in the constituency still lack dedicated junior toilets, forcing Botswana’s youngest learners to use facilities that government itself says are inappropriate.
For parents, the issue goes beyond infrastructure. It is about dignity, safety and whether children taking their first steps into education are being given an environment worthy of their age and potential.