“The transformative role of a university has assumed even greater significance as the world situation has become more complex with extraordinary expansion in human interaction, research and innovation….The university’s role in arresting and possibly reversing some of these trends can become even more meaningful through 21st century-problem-specific training, research and knowledge”. Fauzia Nasreen: The Role of Universities in Socio-Economic Transformation.
In line with the abovementioned proposition, and to drive Private Sector led growth strategy, Government established Hubs through the Excellence Strategy. This included the Botswana Education Hub. The Education Hub was set up to amongst others, position Botswana as a regional centre of excellence in education, training, and research through the provision of a competent national human resource skills base in areas required for economic diversification. The Hub furthermore, was to attract new investors in education & training as well as new providers locally and internationally. Amongst the projects the Innovation Hub identified, was the establishment of a Technical School of Mining and Energy considering the needs and socio-economic realities of Botswana and other African countries. These remain imperatives and the Country should be a leading Research Centre in Mining and Energy.
The development and establishment of Private Tertiary Institutions in our Country was therefore not an accident but a result of well thought Excellence Strategy. This notwithstanding, there has always been contesting views with regards quality provision of Private Sector Participation in Higher Education, with the “Ayes” appearing to be in the lead against the “Nays”. This was recently echoed by Dr Roberta Malee Bassett, the global lead for tertiary education and a senior education specialist at the World Bank, during the 19th International Conference on Private Higher Education in Africa, who highlighted that “historic mistrust of private higher education providers is still real in many countries, especially in low- and lower middle-income countries”.
Dr Bassett was of the view that the debate was overtaken by events and no longer useful, rather “focus should be on where private and public institutions can be more innovative and effective towards achieving national or institutional strategic goals,”. She contends that Private Higher Education Providers afford opportunities for expanding access in constrained delivery contexts, are agile in responding to labour market needs and provide healthy stimulation through competition.
In support, Karl Dittrich (NVAO) & Hannelore Weck-Hannemann (ÖAR) for the European Consortium for Accreditation, through an article entitled “the Private Higher Education Institutions and Quality Assurance”, identifies positive characteristics of Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs). They maintain that PHEIs are Demand-driven because some are established for specific demands from the labour market. Employers, corporations and even governments may have specific wishes for education of their staff. Private institutions seem to be more apt to react to these wishes. They also contend that PHEIs are innovative as they seem to have more possibilities to develop innovative ways of teaching and learning. They hold that some experiences suggest that PHEIs are therefore drivers for innovation, both in pedagogical methods and in the content of the programmes.
Of course, there are issues raised with regards to quality of provision. My take is that the challenges of Quality of Provision affect both the Public and Private Institutions talking from experience having championed quality assurance at the University of Botswana and its Affiliated Institutions, as Assistant Director in the Centre for Academic Development (Academic Programme Review Unit). Yes of course not at equal measure.
To deal with quality of provision Dr Bassett contends that measures could include “defining a coherent national strategic vision and policy framework inclusive of the contributions from public and private institutions; establishing an enabling regulatory environment that removes barriers and includes modern and agile quality assurance mechanisms and offers appropriate financial incentives”.
In an endeavour to promote quality assurance in Higher Education Institutions amongst others, the Botswana Qualifications Authority was established to provide for and maintain a National Credit and Qualifications Framework and to coordinate the education, training, and skills development quality assurance system. The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is the system that records the credits assigned to each level of learning achievement in a formal way to ensure that the skills and knowledge that have been learnt are recognised throughout the country. The NCQF is currently being developed but the delays are having an impact on quality and relevance as Institutions, both Private and Public are offering legacy programmes some not aligned to the current needs of Industry, not at their volition but for reasons beyond their control.
As highlighted above by Dr Bassett, appropriate financial incentives are imperative. The Current Funding model in the form of a grant loan scheme is not sustainable. At the Association of African Higher Education Funding Agencies (AAHEFA) workshop some four or so years ago, it was reported that only Botswana and Lesotho were still funding Tertiary Students from Government Subvention, whereas all other AAHEFA Country Members, had migrated to establishment of Revolving Funds, for student funding as well as for Tertiary Institutions Funding.
It is the current funding model that reinforces misconceptions that Private Tertiary Institutions are more expensive than Public, negating the fact that Public Institutions are favoured with Government subvention which covers their recurrent and development expenditure. Calculation of a Unit-Cost is a true representation of the cost of a programme and indications are that Public Institutions are more expensive (This is a discussion for another day). It is however in the best interest of Government to improve on quality of provision for both Public and Private Tertiary Institutions if the Country is to transform to a knowledge economy, otherwise the said transformation to a knowledge economy by 2036 will be a pipe dream.
For private and public institutions to be more innovative and effective towards achieving national or institutional strategic goals, as highlighted earlier, and thus lead us in the right direction to be a knowledge economy, the current unsustainable Tertiary Funding model should be uprooted like yesterday.
It is however pleasing to note that as per The Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure from the Consolidated and Development Funds, Financial Paper No. 1 of 2021/2022, presented by Minister of Finance Hon Peggy Serame, Government has taken the decision to immediately “transfer the Tertiary Education Financing vote under the Department of Tertiary Education Financing at Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoTE) to Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; and the; establishment of a Special Fund, wherein the tertiary education financing will be managed in an effort to ensure that this becomes a revolving fund”. Transferring the Tertiary Education Financing vote from MoTE to Ministry of Finance is like changing drivers of a moribund truck and expect the truck to perform miracles. The key remains establishment of a Special Fund and ensuring it becomes a Revolving Fund. I wish Members of Parliament (maybe I should be one, maybe not) would have pushed the Honourable Minister to provide timelines.
Student Funding and Tertiary Funding are intrinsically linked, and one can only hope the decision to establish a revolving Fund will not forever remain in the ‘pipeline’. The establishment of the revolving Fund should strengthen both the Public and Private Tertiary Education providers to offer innovative and new programmes. The Country should furthermore take up opportunities to be an Education Hub as was initially conceived and move to attract new investors in education & training as well as new providers locally and internationally. Afterall, Botswana is a relatively stable country, and the economic indicators are relatively good, with a sound macroeconomic framework. It is also about time to review the Government Paper no 37 of 2008, the Tertiary Education Policy entitled “Towards a Knowledge Economy”.
*Dr Raphael Dingalo is Vice Chancellor, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (Botswana Campus)
