16 Jul 2015

The Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Mr Kgotla Autlwetse has told Parliament that he does not find it necessary to reduce tertiary education funding cut off points from 36 to 30.

Answering a question in Parliament, Mr Autlwetse said access to education and skills training at post-secondary level which includes universities, colleges, technical colleges and brigades admits and enrolls students for programmes ranging from certificate to degree and post graduate levels. 

He noted that government through MoESD currently provides sponsorship to qualifying students as follows; subventions to technical and vocational institutions through the annual recurrent budget adding that the ministry did not provide living allowances for students at those institutions.

“These Institutions offer programmes from certificate and above and have their cut off points at 34 and above. 

These institutions however also admit junior certificate holders hence increasing access,” he said.Further, the assistant minister highlighted that, subventions, tuition and student allowances to tertiary education institutions for qualifying students for diploma programmes and above had their cut off points at 36 and above.

He said lowering of cut off points for purposes of further increasing access was something that the ministry had interest in executing if conditions permit adding that those conditions include availability of funding and consideration for quality.

Mr Autlwetse advised that those students who did not manage to be admitted to tertiary institutions, technical colleges or brigades were encouraged to re-sit their BGCSE subjects through BOCODOL and other private providers to improve their results so that they get admission.

“It is for these reasons that my ministry does not find it necessary to reduce the tertiary education funding cut off points from 36 to 30,” he said. 

Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the assistant minister if there were any plans to reduce the tertiary education funding cut off points from 36 to 30 in order to accommodate more students funded by government for tertiary education. ENDS