The new Minister of Education, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi has been told by student representatives from various colleges to restore dignity and trustworthiness to the ministry.

During a meeting with the minister on Monday, one student representative said they have lost trust and respect for the ministry. He urged Venson-Moitoi to make a difference in the ministry and to communicate more with students. He asserted that lack of communication from the ministry has caused a lot of misunderstandings and problems between the two sides.

Another representative pleaded with the minister to visit educational institutions outside Gaborone to witness challenges that students face everyday. Student representatives demanded certainty in the approval of accredited courses. They said the ministry accredits some courses and later withdraws them. They complained that some institutions do not meet the standards to offer certain courses, yet the ministry has done nothing to correct this. They urged the ministry not to just accredit courses and sit back without follow-ups to make sure that institutions meet the required standards.

When addressing the gathering, Venson-Moitoi promised that there will be open communication between the ministry and students. She said there will be positive changes in the ministry to benefit students.

However, she complained about the bad behaviour of students. "There is gross abuse from students to other students and teachers," she said. She indicated that such behaviour could be very costly to the perpetrator saying that this time round, misconduct cases will be passed to the police since they are the relevant people to deal with criminals. She said the ministry will consult student representatives in cases that can be settled internally without involving the police.

The assistant Minister of Education, Keletso Rakhudu said that Student Representative Councils (SRC) have been given serious accountability and responsibility roles and should therefore be trustworthy. He encouraged inter-student communication to detect problems to avoid unnecessary violence that occurs in some institutions.