16 Sep 2014

The Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi says her ministry is in the process of transforming the education system into one that has dual pathways and assessment.

Speaking during a two-day workshop on the dual pathways and assessment framework for Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET) in Francistown on September 15, Dr Venson-Moitoi said the transformation would identify talents and capabilities of learners at an early stage.

She said the education system would be aligned to recognise talents of learners at junior certificate as some were not gifted in academics but vocational and arts and, through the transformation, learners would be given the opportunity to follow different streams of learning according to their areas of talents.

Dr Venson-Moitoi explained that the current system whereby students decided to go to brigades only after realising that they had failed academically would be done away with; whereas brigades and vocational training centres would also be a route to university.

She illustrated that the education system would follow a model in which students would study together from preschool up to primary school and later be divided into academic, vocational and arts depending on their talents.

Furthermore, she said they would both go for internship after which the academic and arts learners would do the senior secondary while the vocational ones would go for their National Craft Certificate.

She said after the senior secondary both students could go for university or tertiary education to further their studies or skills with the points they attained at senior secondary or NCC.

The workshop which was attended by representatives of TVET from all over the country was aimed at preparing ground for implementation of the legislation passed by parliament last year.

The legislation advocates for the transformation of the education system to have dual pathways that will allow learners to follow a path that they excel in. Ends