Duration of study: 2 years
- Ages : 4-6 years
- Primary Languages: Setswana, and English
- Tuition Range : 4000- 10 000 per term
- Terms : 3 (1st term- January to early April, 2nd Term- May to August, and 3rd Term September to December)
- Admission Term: 1st Term (January)
- ECD School Types: Public, and Private.
Preschool education is available in Botswana mostly to children whose parents can afford to send them to expensive private daycare centers and preschools. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs are of utmost importance to both children and parents because they boost children's perceptual, physical, mental, linguistic, emotional, social, intellectual development, or motor and psychomotor development. Pre-school education offers learning to children through play, various activities, and games.
Upon completion of 2 years of pre-school education, students will be eligible to continue to Standard 1, which is the 1st grade in Botswana. Private pre-schools offer a variety of activities and are slightly costly. Fees for pre-schools in Botswana vary depending on the school and location.
You can expect to pay as much as P4000 to R10000 toward tuition only, before other expenses which include transport, toiletries, sundries, and stationery, to mention but a few. Pre-school education is however not compulsory in Botswana and some may go straight into the first grade as they may not afford early childhood education.
Early childhood education in Botswana operates has 3 levels and is divided into age groups as follows:
- 0 - 2 ½ years baby-care
- 2½ years- 4 day-care/nursery
- 4 - 6 years pre-primary school.
Pre-school education in Botswana is aimed at the Emotional, Social, Physical, Cognitive development of students by offering Pre-reading, Pre-writing, Pre-counting, Art and crafts skills, Environmental and Science exploration, Cultural Knowledge, and Knowledge of basic life skills. Preschool may be general or have particular focus areas including arts education, religious education, sports training, or foreign language learning, along with providing general education. as of 2015, the Botswana Government has started opening early childhood education programs in various governmental primary schools to promote early childhood education.
Examples of pre-schools in Botswana
There are a variety of pre-schools where non-citizens can enroll their children. Let's look at some of the options you can choose from.
Gaborone international school- Creche
The Gaborone International School has 3 schools namely the Creche, Junior School, and the Senior School. It offers early education at the Creche, which enrolls children from the age of 2 to the age of 6. The creche helps students to start their academic journey with a strong academic foundation attained through learning and playing.
- Founded: 1993
- Address: Plot No. 37224 Block 8 Off Western By-Pass Gaborone, Botswana
- Language of instruction: Setswana and English
- Terms: 3 terms
- Fees Range: P13 200- P17 100 per annum
The school offers a rich curriculum which is a combination of Botswana and South African curriculum, which teaches the foundations of literacy, maths, and life skills. Teaching here focuses on areas including Mathematical and Scientific Thinking, Physical Creative and Aesthetic Development, Language Development and Early Literacy, Personal, Emotional, and Social Development, Health, Nutrition, and Safety.
Facilities- the school offers a variety of facilities to enhance the students learning experience. These include a Swimming Pool, an Audio Room, a Library, a Computer Lab, a Large Playground, and Outdoor play equipment Including swings, slides, bridge, climbers, motorbikes
Tuition and Fees
Parents and guardians can expect to pay the following as tuition:
GRADE TERMLY x 3 ANNUALLY 5% ANNUAL DISCOUNT
Creche KG1 P 4 400 P 13 200 P 12 540
Creche KG2 P 4 400 P 13 200 P 12 540
Reception P 5 700 P 17 100 P 16 240
Parents can also expect to incur other additional costs in transportation, sundry, and toiletries to mention but a few.
Broadhurst Preschool- Broadhurst Pre School and Daycare Center is a registered and licensed English medium pre-school located in Gaborone. The school aims to produce educated, informed, moralized, and innovative students through the provision of an ideal educational environment which is safe, clean, secure and enabling, for mental, physical, and emotional development
- Location: Plot 5438, Partial, Extension 17, Gaborone, Botswana.
- Founded: 1984
- Terms: 3
- Tuition range: P 5000- P 5200
- Languages of Instruction: English
The school accepts students from 12 months to 6 years. It also offers holiday school and after-school care. It is an inclusive school and is divided into various classes as follows:
Baby class: 12 - 18 months- this class focuses on developing emotional, physical, and social skills by encouraging students to communicate through nursery rhymes, audio and oral sessions, sports, exercise, and sensory play, to mention but a few. letters, alphabets, words, and numbers are introduced gradually to the children in the form of dance, speech, audio, and visuals.
infant class: 18 - 24 months- this class focuses more on the child's ability to understand, take instructions and improve on their speech and language development. The certified teachers here will continue with the introduction of letters, alphabets, words, and numbers through dance, speech, audio, and visuals in fun and educational ways.
Kindergarten class: 2-3 years- this class focuses more on increasing the child's vocabulary, fine and gross motor skills. At this stage, they can communicate students will learn letters and numbers by tracing dotted lines in books and will also learn to color, write or draw.
pre-reception class: 3-4 years- this class focuses on the children’s ability to copy letters and numbers, trace pictures and also work on their confidence (by performing an activity in front of the class).
Reception class: 4-6 years- this is the main preparation class that prepares students for mainstream education. This stage focuses on the child's ability to understand the importance of different professions, hygiene, and other fun and exciting topics. Students continue learning how to write letters, numbers, words, and tracing or cutting out pictures and coloring.
Extracurricular activities
The school offers a variety of extracurricular activities for children which include swimming, computers, agriculture, drama, music, modeling, sports, dancing, and art, to mention but a few.
Tuition and fees
The fees structure for 2021 are as follows:
Non-refundable Registration Fee- P350
Uniforms- P300 per set (includes a shirt, a pair of shorts, and a floppy hat)
Full day fees per term
1 Instalment- P 5200
2 Instalments- P 2650
Half-day fees per term
1 Instalment- P 5000
2 Instalments- P 2550
Note that both half-day and full-day fees include lunch and extracurricular activities.
Hibiscus Pre-Primary and Day Care Centre- this is a school located in Gaborone, offering pre-primary, primary education. It has 3 campuses around Gaborone, namely, Hibiscus Broadhurst in Kwebu Crescent, Hibiscus Phase 4, and Hibiscus phase 2, all in Gaborone. The school offers education for children aged 3 to 5 years. The school aims to develop students holistically by strengthening healthy choices, language, and numeracy skills while enhancing the social and emotional skills to better prepare them for mainstream education.
Curriculum- the school’s curriculum focuses on various aspects including Gross motor development, fine motor, and sensory development, Language Development, Social and Emotional Development, Numeracy skills, Early Writing skills, Art, and Music and Movement.
Extracurricular activities- the school offers a variety of extracurricular activities that are fun and good for the physical, social, and emotional development of the students. These creatively named activities include music Fun, zumbaFun, fit4Fun, ball playFun, dance 4Fun, and SensoFun.
Tuition and fees
Tuition and fees from the Broadhurst campus are as follows:
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
Registration Fee (non-refundable) P 300.00
School fees (half day) P7600.00
School fees (full day) P8400.00
Lunch P 900.00
Kindergarten resource pack per year P1800.00
Pre-Reception
Registration Fee (non-refundable) P 300.00
Admission Fee (non-refundable) P1000.00
School fees (half day) P8100.00
School fees (full day) P8900.00
Lunch P 900.00
Pre-reception resource pack per year P2000.00
Lower Primary - Fees per Term 2021
Reception to Std. 2 - School fees P13200.00
