Basic Education Sector Service Delivery: Challenges Faced by Managers and Practitioners in Botswana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the conceptualisation, practices and experiences of Education managers and practitioners regarding service delivery in the Botswana basic education sector. The study used a qualitative multiple case study, which employed social constructivism to investigate the quality-of-service delivery in the basic education sector in Botswana. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data generated through semi-structured interviews, document reviews and questionnaires. The findings of the study show that all 23 participants did not efficiently and effectively deliver services to customers. It was revealed that this was due to a top-down approach, inadequate resources, insufficient support during training and non-compliance to the implementation of service delivery policy reforms. The contribution of this study comes from the use of Public Service Dominant Theory (PSDT) and Expectancy theory in the basic education sector. This theoretical framework shifts the paradigm towards new ways of looking at things. The findings of the study call for policymakers and policy implementers to be equipped with skills and competencies, so that they would be able to understand their expectations and/or the different roles they play in policy implementation and compliance. The study found that there was a gap between policy and practice and this gap can be closed by policymakers fully interacting with policy implementers in the formulation of policy reforms aimed at improving service delivery. More research is required to identify efficient and effective ways of implementing and complying with service delivery policy reforms. Keywords: Basic education sector, Botswana, expectancy theory, implementation challenges, public service dominant theory.