This chapter examines the nature of curriculum reforms in the light of educational expansion
and curriculum innovation in Botswana. We argue that, despite the escalation
in demand for more and better education, not much reflection or research has been
done on the nature of the curriculum and how it relates to the whole process of change.
We begin by providing a contextual background on Botswana’s geographical, political,
social, and economic situation and an overview of the development of education from
the precolonial era to the present time. The present system of education is critiqued in
the light of a review of research on the implementation of the new curriculum. Like
most developing countries, Botswana has planned educational policies in phases and
developed educational goals, a national philosophy, and a vision to create an ideal society
to enable its people to realize their potentials and live in peace and prosperity. Unfortunately,
a review of research on classrooms in Botswana indicates that the teaching
patterns and the teachers’ attitudes have not changed as required by an innovative curriculum.
We argue that the nature and structure of the present educational system still
rooted in the colonial history relate to the perpetuation of a hierarchical class structure
and not to a radical change or social transformation required to realize the educational
goals and national visions. Finally, critical pedagogy grounded in the radical theories is
invoked as an alternative. The ethical value of humaneness and human oneness
(ubunto/botho) inherent in African cultural heritage and espoused by various African
countries, including Botswana, is found worthy to provide an ethical dimension for
critical pedagogy suitable for emancipatory education in Africa and other developing
countries. To prepare ground for this pedagogy, the conception of curriculum must
come out of its narrow confines to be reconceptualized.