It is inarguable that education is vital, as it opens the door to a better life for everyone. But when it comes to what both basic and tertiary education means for the economic growth of a country like Botswana, we cannot reach a conclusive decision as yet.
There is a reason or two why I say this. A few days ago at the Diamond Square – a pop-up hangout spot created and ran by some youth at the mainmall Gaborone we had a discussion with some of the regulars there on what really knowledge based economy means or what it should be to us in Botswana. Key amongst the questions we could not clearly answer was: where are our BGCSE top achievers? What role are they playing or should they be playing in this knowledge based economy? How about the poor – what to what extend does the existing policies that have been designed to drive the knowledge based economy are inclusive to them (the poor)? The latter question on the poor came to my mind because I believe that knowledge based economies – progressive as they may sound, risk leaving the poor behind. It is becoming clearer each passing day that knowledge has become a valuable currency for many nations across the globe.
Perhaps this should explain why our government is always talking about knowledge based economy – although we are not sure yet whether we are pressing the right buttons to make it work for all of us. While we appreciate the talk that is there around knowledge, and also recognise its drive, we have to make a note of caution regarding its negative impact, particularly on the poor. I strongly believe that both our basic, higher and tertiary education institutions have a vital role to play in ensuring that no one is left behind. That is why it’s important for government, amongst other things to update the nation on the achievements of the BGCSE Top achievers program to date. Where are the beneficiaries and what role are they now playing in building the much talked about knowledge based economy?
Are we making use of their expertise and ensuring that there is return on investment we made on them or we sent them to prestigious colleges only frustrate them and sideline them? For the sake of those who might not be familiar with the Top Achievers, it is a program ran by the basic education ministry which has been in place since 2010.The Program was started to help students pursue careers that are of strategic importance in driving economic diversification in our country. So for the past ten years or so College scholarships have been given to deserving Batswana students in the fields of finance, business, engineering, medical health, ICT, and science. Surely these are areas that could help grow our economy which could work in favour of the poor and the citizenry at large. While there is no doubt about the potential that the Top Achievers Program has, what is in question now is whether we are getting value for our money.
If we are not, then we should add the Program to the list of the many ways our country has devised to waste tax payer’s money. Given that is been full ten years since the first batch was sent abroad, we should be feeling the presence of this Top Achievers within our soil. As I write this commentary, competitiveness, knowledge, as well as research and development are the priorities of every country today. Botswana is not an exception. Contrary to what policymakers at government enclave usually want to portray knowledge based economy as – It is not a new theoretical concept, but a new epoch, which has a fundamental difference from the era of agrarian or even the industrial economies.
Although it appeared only in the early 1990s, it has already had an impact and caused changes in all spheres of economic and social life in some countries. That is why our policymakers need to study how other countries like Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan are often cited as success stories of knowledge based economy. The development stories of these countries are different and interesting. They give a perfect example of moving the economy quickly from a cheap, unskilled workforce to becoming a knowledge-based economy. The top priority sector of their governments was education. They invested a lot in secondary, vocational and tertiary education, in upgrading the skills of the workers in order to remain competitive.
Given that we aspire to reach the level at which they are at now, we also need to scrutinize all our policies designed to drive the knowledge based economy including Top Achievers Program. Our policymakers and political leaders have to be more thoughtful about on the shape that our knowledge based economy takes. Otherwise we risk promoting economic growth that leaves many of our people even further behind than before. Given our Vision 2036 aspiration of an inclusive economy surely we can afford to leave others behind anymore. The truth is: to talk about the knowledge economy without being able to measure and evaluate its influence would not be of great utility. That is why the #Bottomline remains: The government need not just to talk about knowledge based economy but should also mean and live it.
