The Executive Secretary of the Botswana Tertiary Education Council, Dr Patrick Molutsi, has called on Batswana to take tertiary education seriously. He announced this at a stakeholder’s conference that was held on Tuesday at the Cresta Lodge.
“In view of the challenging and ever-changing academic and economic dynamics globally, it is important to dwell on methods and ways of maximizing on education as a career and as a way of doing business,” he said.
Taking into consideration that the world has become a global village Molutsi encouraged stakeholders and youths to prioritize tertiary education; he highlighted that “tertiary education thoroughly contributes to the socio-economic development of our country to attain the Global competitive standards”.
The conference was held ahead of the first ever Tertiary Education Fair which will be held from the 3rd to 6th of March, 2010.
The fair will be conducted at Boipuso Hall under the theme: “The tertiary sector shaping our future”.
It is aimed at offering the exhibitors and tertiary education institutions the platform to interact on the skilled human resource needs of the economy.
The fair has been strategically positioned in time to advice the BGCSE school leavers and the working force who may have an interest to pursue tertiary education and inform on which career paths are marketable in Botswana.
The position of the fair is, therefore, proposed to suggest that the fair provides a platform that nurtures the way tertiary education operates hence shaping a candidate’s future.
Molutsi warned Batswana to capitalize on the current education situation in Zimbabwe, which has crumbled causing foreign students to study in Botswana.
He also noted that education instills an element of focus and direction in an individual, adding that “tertiary education, once acquired, makes you a better citizen, good for the economy and community”.
Molutsi warned Batswana not to underestimate the teaching profession but to take it seriously because, at the moment, the teaching industry is dominated by foreign teachers “who have only come here in search of greener pastures because of the economic and political constraints in their countries”.
He, however, applauded the progress by the accreditation team, saying this assured quality education for students.
Faith Rapuleng, the Council‘s Marketing and Communications Specialist, said that it is the council’s top priority to achieve “a well resourced quality tertiary system that will contribute to Botswana becoming a knowledge-based society”.
Since its inception, BTEC has managed to register 25 public tertiary institutions and 7 private ones.
