07 Dec 2015

Botswana has a dream to position itself as a destination for higher learning and to achieve that the country has to ensure that it is well known within SADC, Eastern Africa and the rest of Africa.

The Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Unity Dow said during her opening remarks at the10th Session of the bi-annual Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) Assembly of Ministers at Gaborone International Conference Centre, Grand Palm Hotel.

This was organised by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development in partnership with the University of Botswana and SACMEQ. She said to ensure realisation of the dream a tour programme has been introduced in schools. “We are hoping that we can begin a new network and even go beyond SACMEQ,” she said.

SACMEQ was set up to undertake integrated research and training activities to expand opportunities for educational planners and researchers. Dr Dow said the purpose of the consortium was to map, monitor and evaluate educational quality in the 16 member countries.

“I am pleased to note that out of the 16 member countries, 13 are present, represented by their ministers or official from those ministries,” she said. She noted that the meeting was a very crucial milestone for SACMEQ as it was the first meeting, in Africa, in Botswana, since the relocation from Africa.

“We need data for research in order to generate information that can be used by decision makers to have informed policies, funding and plan the quality of education. We also should engage on a range of policy-dialogue activities to ensure that SACMEQ research results are discussed, debated, and understood by all stakeholders and senior decision-makers and used as the basis for policy and practice,” she said.

The SACMEQ membership is made up of Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania (Mainland & Zanzibar), Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Each member’s education ministry is represented by a SACMEQ national research coordinator and two deputies who manage the country’s research activities.

The outgoing SACMEQ chairperson, also the minister of education in Zambia, Mr John Phiri, indicated that the SACMEQ Coordinating Sector has finally been relocated from Paris to Botswana, and to be operational by January 2016.

“Let me re-emphasise that we are not in competition with each other, but rather SACMEQ binds us. We can only make informed decisions only with researched data, which will affect the lives of our children. I plead that you lean on each other and build relationships across the 16 countries,” he said.  

Mr Phiri officially handed over the chairmanship to the minister of education for Angola, Mr Pinda Simao. ENDS