Africa-Press – Botswana. Government spends billions of Pula in the education sector annually in an effort to develop skills and turn Botswana into a knowledge-based economy.
In the 2023/2024 national budget, Ministry of Education and Skills Development was allocated the lion’s share of P15.04 billion.
Giving a keynote address during the seventh edition of the Itlhokotse Skills Development Expo, which was also characterised by a graduation of 50 artisans in Moshupa yesterday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said the budget allocation was testimony of government’s commitment to developing human capacity.
“Similarly government has, through the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, developed the Ipelegeng Programme to include the Skills Development Component. Since 2022, a sizeable number of Batswana across the country have graduated under the same programme acquiring practical skills in bricklaying, painting, tiling, and electrical installation, among others,” he said.
Furthermore, he said the Ministry of Education and Skills Development was in the process of operationalising the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP), which would enable young learners to choose their preferred pathways in vocational education.
“These are some of the efforts by government to develop the necessary skills that will not only reduce unemployment, but also carry the hopes and aspirations of our people and the country forward. This is the knowledge-based economy that we are so vigorously pursuing,” he said.
He, therefore, said it was pleasing to see enterprises such as China’s Zhengtai Group of Companies coming on board and meeting government halfway through their Itlhokotse Skills Development Training Programme and assisting in the development of critical skills in the construction sector.
President Masisi lauded the programme for developing critical skills for artisans in different fields.
“Since its inception, the programme has trained a total of 500 artisans in various fields from bricklaying, plastering, welding, tiling, plumbing, machine operation and many more. Fifty trainees will be graduating from the programme today. This is truly commendable,” he said.
President Masisi said government had prioritised technical and vocational education with a view to nurturing and developing vocational job skills for the local market and exportation to the global markets.
He urged the programme graduands to form multi-skilled cooperatives focusing on construction and help create employment for others.
“Through our recently launched Mindset Change campaign, we desire to achieve a shift from traditional notion that after graduating one can only be successful if they join formal employment. Economic success can be realised by being open to all available avenues, whether in government, private sector, or partnerships,” he said.
President Masisi further urged them to consider using their skills to find opportunities in the international construction market.
He said exportation of skilled labour could help to deal with unemployment challenges faced by the nation, adding that other countries thrived on exporting their labour and Botswana too would need to tap into that market.
Speaking during the same event, Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Wang Xuefeng explained that capacity-building was one of the cornerstones of the China/Africa cooperation.
He said that Chinese enterprises working in Botswana attached great importance to vocational skills development on their local employees.
“This programme fully reflects the professional skills and unlimited potential that Botswana employees possess.
Chinese enterprises in Botswana attach great importance to providing vocational skills training. Today’s Itlhokotse Development Expo is a good showcase. These practices not only provide guarantee to the quality of construction project, but also enable local employees to acquire labour skills and ability that will benefit them throughout their lives,” he said.
He said over the years China had always adhered to the principles of pursuing greater good in capacity-building for African countries.
He said China had provided technical training and supported studies of Botswana students in China through Chinese government scholarships.
Mr Wang said the country had availed medical staff to Botswana over the years. “We have built primary schools in Serowe, Maun and Mmopane. The construction of Kazungula Primary School is also going smoothly,” he added.
Giving an overview of the expo, director of Zhengtai, Mr Steven Liu said they established the programme in 2000 with the aim of training artisans in different skills in every project they had carried out in Botswana.
They did that in collaboration with the Construction Industry Trust Fund, adding that Moshupa Hospital project was one such project in which they trained 50 artisans.
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