Mqondisi Dube
9 April 2008
Gaborone — Vocational and technical education is key to economic growth, says a senior educationist.
The Deputy Project Coordinator for the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), Mogotsa Kewagamang, officiating at the Selebi-Phikwe Technical College (SPTECO)'s 20th anniversary celebrations on Friday said technical, vocational education and training (TVET) is the "lifeblood of any modern thriving economy".
He said while TVET is an expensive form of education, it qualifies citizens to participate in sectors of the economy that are productive and growth oriented. "A burgeoning economy that has no citizen technicians and artisans limits the possibility of its growth, as well as leaving the highlight of its development in the hands of foreigners," Kewagamang said.
He added that with the advent of globalisation of markets, it is crucial that Botswana trains its own human resource. He said the education and training sector has to respond to new and constantly emerging economic and social challenges in Botswana. "Global changes such as the rapid advancement of technology, coupled with liberalised trade and movement of people worldwide are influencing labour market trends in Botswana".
He said emerging patterns include high levels of unemployment, retrenchment, frequent job change, need for adaptability and multi-skilling. Kewagamang said the Botswana government had, through its national development plans, recognised the value of technical and vocational training. He said there is need to place strong emphasis on the teaching of mathematics and science in secondary schools as the demand for quality scientific and technical personnel has grown faster than expected. "The result is that the shortage of local scientists and technicians has seriously impacted on our economic development," Kewagamang said. He added that between 1994 and 2000 it became evident that more intensive national effort would be required to rectify the imbalance.
The educationist said the government had responded through the introduction of more bursaries for external courses in scientific and technical fields. He said Botswana's economy had undergone rapid economic transformation since independence and had become sophisticated. "The economy is now sophisticated and has become a cash economy and large numbers of school leavers each year join the queue of job seekers. Most jobs require a basic good education and some element of training," Kewagamang said. He urged SPTECO to make TVET accessible to a wider community and open up opportunities for adults to capitalise on skills development.
Kewagamang said in this way, the college would be contributing to Botswana's sustainable economic diversification and global competitiveness. SPTECO principal, Maggie Khumalo said over the last 20 years, the college had developed into a competitive learning institution offering widely recognised programmes.
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