Cognia-accredited online school
Registered with SACAI, approved Pearson Edexcel centre
Botswana has no homeschooling law and no compulsory school age in statute, so families don't register anywhere. The Children's Act still makes it an offence to deny a child the opportunity of going to school without a reasonable excuse.
This guide covers what the law says, the exams homeschooled students can sit in Botswana, costs, and the routes to university in Botswana and South Africa.
Yes. No law prohibits homeschooling and none regulates it. Two laws shape the position for families: the Children's Act and the Education Act.
| Law or rule | What it says | What it means for home education |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Act, section 18 | Every child has a right to free basic education. A parent or guardian who, without reasonable excuse, denies a child the opportunity of going to school commits an offence, with a fine of P5,000 to P10,000 | The Act doesn't mention home education, so keep records that show your child is being educated |
| Compulsory school age | None. Botswana law sets no age range for compulsory education, a gap the US Department of Labor notes in its annual review | No law says a child of a given age must be enrolled at a school |
| Education Act, Part III | Schools operating in Botswana must be registered, and the ministry can close schools that fail inspection | Private schools cited these sections in January 2025 when asking the ministry to act on unregistered tuition centres and group homeschools |
| Registration of homeschoolers | The Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education has not published a homeschool register or approval process | You don't need to notify anyone before you start |
Section 18 is framed around a child's opportunity to go to school, and it doesn't define what counts as a reasonable excuse. An enrolment letter and regular reports from an accredited school are the simplest evidence if anyone asks how your child is being taught.
In January 2025, Mmegi reported that private schools had asked the ministry to regulate tuition centres, and that the Botswana Teaching Professionals Council had begun talks with tutoring centres that offer schooling. No rule for families teaching their own children has been announced since.
Many online guides say education in Botswana is compulsory from 6 to 16, or that 3% of children are homeschooled. Neither claim traces back to an official source.
The qualification your child aims for decides where they sit exams and which universities they can apply to, so choose it before the curriculum.
| Qualification | Awarded by | Where it's sat | How to enter | At CambriLearn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge International GCSE, AS and A Level | Cambridge International | British Council Botswana in Gaborone, with science practicals at Livingstone Kolobeng College | Online with the British Council | Taught on the International British Curriculum |
| Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and A Level | Pearson Edexcel | A Pearson centre that accepts private candidates, as the British Council in Gaborone runs Cambridge exams only | With the centre | Taught on the Pearson Edexcel pathway |
| BGCSE | Botswana Examinations Council | BEC centres in Botswana, once a year in October and November | With BEC as a private candidate, February to May | Not offered |
| South African NSC | Umalusi, examined by SACAI | In South Africa only | CambriLearn registers Grade 12 students with SACAI | Taught on the CAPS pathway |
| American High School Diploma | Score Academy Online, a Cognia-accredited school | Assessed online, so no exam centre is needed | Enrolment with the school | Through sister school Score Academy Online on the US K-12 pathway |
British Council Botswana enters private candidates for Cambridge exams in May/June and October/November. You register online, pay online and email a photo, a copy of your child's Omang or passport (or birth certificate if they're under 16) and proof of payment. Livingstone Kolobeng College charges P1,500 per practical paper on top of the British Council fee.
The BGCSE is designed for candidates who have completed two years of senior secondary school or the equivalent, and BEC accepts private candidates with no age limit. It's the standard route into Botswana's universities, but South African universities don't accept it on its own for degree study.
CambriLearn registers Grade 12 CAPS students with SACAI, which allocates the exam venue, and the NSC exams can only be written in South Africa. CambriLearn's exam FAQ says international students need a South African study permit to travel for them, so start that process early.
