13 Jul 2014

Botswana College of Distance and Opening Learning (BOCODOL) in collaboration with Regional Psychosocial Support Initiatives Programme (REPSSI) have awarded certificates to 52 graduates.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony on July 10, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education Skills Development, Dr Richard Matlhare said the community-based work with children and youth, certificate course was designed to address a skills gap in crucial areas of community service.

“The importance of skills training and capacity building for people working with families, children and youth particularly in our peri-urban and rural setting cannot be over-emphasised,” he said. 

Dr Matlhare said it was therefore important to acknowledge and appreciate foresight and initiative on the part of the people who came up with the programme.

He said the programme focused on creating a workforce of reflective practitioners, adding he was also notified that the main aim of the programmes was to strengthen understanding and practice of psychosocial care, and support as well as issues of child rights and various aspect of community development.

Another important aspect, he said was that the programme provides frontline practitioners in the Orphan and Vulnerable Children sector with access to an accredited professional qualifications, without removing them from their valuable community work.

Dr Matlhare said the 18 month certificate course programme offered the practitioners an overview of the sector preparing to working with vulnerable children, youth, families and their communities.

An independent evaluation of the programme was undertaken by the South African Institute of Distance Education (SAIDE).

Dr Matlhare said SAIDE concluded that the certificate programme was an excellent example of a well designed and implemented distance education programmes, and offers an innovative teaching and learning model that combines the use of learning materials, support by trained mentors and continuous assessment.

BOCODOL executive director, Dr Daniel Tau said Botswana and South Africa had relations that pre-dated independence of both countries. 

He said the post-independence collaborative ventures between the countries had become stronger largely because of the long standing historical and cultural ties and the several jointly developed partnership frameworks meant to promote socio-economic development of people of both states.

“It is within the context of the existing strong bilateral relations that BOCODOL, REPSSI, University of Kwa Zulu Natal and the African Centre Childhood in South Africa have been able to make the REPSSI certificate programme come to bare fruit on the people of Botswana,” he said.

Dr Tau further said BOCODOL had formal partnerships with University Of South Africa and North West University, saying it was because both countries leaders ensured harmonious relations between the two countries.

Community Based Work with Children and Youth top student, Lilly Ponatshego said she managed to complete because of hard work, dedication and passion, and said she would continue to be the agent of the community she lives in.

The programme was developed by REPSSI and UNICEF Esaro in partnership with the University of Kwa Zulu Natal and Stanbic Bank sponsored 10 students on the programme. ENDS