The Status of Literacy Education for the San of Botswana

Abstract

The San are Southern Africa's first indigenous peoples. They can be found in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The San peoples in Botswana still face discrimination especially in the education sector as their indigenous literacy and way of life are largely ignored. Their languages are not part of the school curriculum in Botswana; English (the official language) and Setswana (the national language) are taught in schools. In theory, this should not be the case. It greatly disadvantages San children as they underperform and drop out of school. Hence, very few have made it to the University of Botswana and the colleges of education. In order for Botswana to reach its aim of an educated and informed nation by 2016, San peoples need to be catered for in the country's education system.