**Abstract**

This chapter explores ways in which technology can complement quality foundational education in Botswana. Quality here implies acquiring good foundation for future learning and appropriate lifeskills. Indicators of good foundation are monitored performance as pr the national policy including learners' positive attitude towards learning. Learning is systematically organized with clear requirements for progression from foundational to upper levels of education. Botswana's foundational education is the first 10 years of schooling. Currently, poor performance at the national Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) examination persists, amplifying unsatisfactory performance in foundation education. In the current inclusive practices, parents as co-players can be actively involved to strengthen and complement foundational years of education. Community Learning Centres (CLCs) can be used to facilitate involvement of community members like parents. CLCs are present in almost each village and readily available as platforms for community participation hence their potential to be podia for ubiquitous learning platforms. Ubiquitous means provision of continuous learning in and outside the school environment. For CLCs to truly function as podia for ubiquitous learning, they should be equipped to provide digital learning (must have computers, necessary software and reliable internet connection); they must be accessed for free and using flexible times; they must give credit to community members as custodians of cultural learning needed to promote the principle of 'balance', that is, accommodate principles of formal and one's cultural learning. Existing centres such as Kitsong Centres, Lifelong Learning Centres, Community Libraries and Community Halls can provide a diversified system of Community Learning Centres (CLCs) to serve as podia for ubiquitous learning. With direct investment and recognition, CLCs can complement or strengthen foundational years and indeed serve as centres for ubiquitous and lifelong learning.

**Keywords:** community learning centre, ubiquitous learning, foundational education

## **1. Introduction**

Technology can be used to facilitate or complement quality foundational education. In Botswana, the goal of "providing an excellent start in education so that they (learners) have better foundation for future learning" has been dolefully attempted especially in the period 2015-2020 [1]. Many children have moved from one level to another with low pass marks and some having failed.

Performance in Botswana's first ten (10) years of foundational education continues to decline indication the need for improvement. Education at this level can be improved or complemented with the provision of other forms of learning. For Botswana, structures and spaces located in the communities such as Kitsong Centres, Lifelong Learning Centres and Community Libraries can serve as learning centres that can complement formal foundational years of schooling. These centres are present in almost each village and readily available as podia for ubiquitous learning platforms. Ubiquitous means that learning ever-present in our contexts and continuous learning means learning in and outside the school environment. Community Learning Centres (CLCs) can facilitate the lifelong lifestyle needed to complement the standardized learning in formal classrooms. For CLCs to truly function as podia for ubiquitous learning, they must be adequately equipped to play this role. To attract children to use the CLCs, computers with necessary software and reliable internet connection must be in place. These should be accessed for free and allow flexible times. The suggested CLCs meet the stated requirements though they are not planned to actively facilitate learning together of children and parents as custodians of cultural learning.

The CLCs model proposed encourages a greater investment on ICTs that are compatible with community needs and are placed in community learning spaces. This is important because learning because part of the community's ways of life. Both learners and the community members are given the opportunity to learn together. In a situation like this, the principle of 'each one teaches the others' becomes significant in giving children confidence of being capable learners and co-creator of knowledge. Unlike in formal classroom environments, children do not rely on teacher-directed/instructed learning but children and their parents have freedom to decide what to learn, when and how. It is important that parents too be given this opportunity to learn with their children and help to see how what is learned connect to their context (situation that surround them in the community) thus promoting the development of lifeskills. Everybody, children and adult will appreciate learning as ubiquitous.

### **2. Overview of Botswana's foundational education**

In 2018 Botswana's population was estimated at 2.33 million and this population context is as indicated below.

Every citizen has rights to education and the government of Botswana cogently stated that in providing any services, no-one would be discriminated either by religion, language, ethnic background, gender, etc. (Republic of Botswana, Presidential task [2]). **Table 1** is meant to shed light of ages at the foundational years of education. The population statistics indicate that young people (0-24 years) constitute a larger fraction of the population and the discussion in this paper focuses on this group.

To give a clearer overview of education in Botswana, one would have to reflect on both types (school-based and none school based) and levels of education from early childhood education to post graduate studies. However, the primary focus of this chapter is foundational years of schooling and the focus shall be at this level.

Botswana's education has a clear structure and pattern. Basic or foundational years of schooling as referred to in this chapter take a total of twelve years of formal schooling. This duration excludes early childhood education that has recently been recognized as an integral aspect of formal basic education. The twelve years has

*Community Learning Centres as Podia for Technology Enhanced Ubiquitous Learning… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94045*


#### **Table 1.**

*Population age structures, 2018.*

been divided into seven (years) of primary education, three (3) years of junior secondary school and two (years) of senior secondary school [1]. The table that follows gives a bird-eye-view of the said continuum (**Table 2**).

Botswana has committed to ensuring that the right of every child to schooling is adhered too. First and foremost, public education is the responsibility of the government of Botswana through free school fees and feeding arrangements. As of now, there are two types of schooling paths, public and private schools. This means that all children 6 or 7 years who are ready to start primary schools are not barred by school fees. A handful of children (10%) of those eligible still do not go to school. The current policy driven education in Botswana is Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan [1]. Coming up with this plan was inspired mainly by the shortcomings of the current education systems; among them, poor quality of educated, restricted access or closed access for some children like those in the rural area, minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities. What other notable effort to ensure that all children get education is the launching of out-of-school education for children (OSEC). OSEC was launched in March 3, 2020, making a great milestone in efforts towards leaving no one behind in education.

While it is commendable that many children are in public schools, the country still faces challenges in providing an excellent start for all children from 0 to 16 years children to lay a good foundation for their future learning. Some children, perhaps many, judging by the performance in the exit standard 7 examination are whisked into progressing from one level to another because of automatic progression. It may be recalled that automatic progression is seen by some countries like Botswana as an open access strategies to basic education. Open access should be accomplished by quality education. Quality at the foundational years of schooling

