“We Wish We Could Be Heard”: Teachers’ Voices in Botswana Primary Schools

Abstract

Education is a vehicle that can be used to oppress or liberate people in the society. Schools are places where democratic values are instilled into the individual learners. Teachers are curriculum implementers who play significant roles in instilling the democratic ideals. The purpose of this study was to investigate in-service student teachers’ perceptions of the extent to which democracy ideals are practicable in Botswana primary/elementary classrooms. The data were collected through written reflective essays from 25 bachelor of education final year in-service student teachers at the University of Botswana and two focus groups of 10 participants each. The findings of the study revealed that the promotion of democratic ideals in the classroom is a challenge. The emergent themes and reasons for this challenge is due to centralized curriculum-driven examinations, high student–teacher ratios, and a shortage of materials. The in-service teachers voiced a need for adherence to democratic ideals and concluded that infusion of those principles would result in learner friendly schools that develop critical thinkers who are self-reliant, and active participates in making decisions that affect their lives, thereby furthering the development of democracy in Botswana.