07 Mar 2016

The Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL) tertiary education would be students are now able to apply for admission, register for their respective programmes and pay fees thereof from any part of Botswana and the world, for as long as they have access to Internet.

Speaking during the launch of the BOCODOL on-line services , the Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development  Mr Fedelis Molao said it is by no means a small achievement by the institution in Botswana, hence a continued support by government.

Mr Molao said gone are the days when one would wait on long queues to register saying anytime, anyplace, anyone would be able to use BOCODOL services without them having to leave the comfort of their homes.

Mr Molao said the college is doing all it could within the confines of its limited resource, to effectively embrace the spirit of the National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy.

He stated that it is through the policy that  government seeks to harness the power of ICT to improve the quality of life in Botswana.

He said ICT is globally recognised as a facilitator of trade and commerce, education, research and tele-medicine, saying it is because of internet connectivity that BOCODOL managed the progress it has realised towards institutionalisation of on-line se

Mr Molao also said his ministry has developed and commenced the implementation of the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP) that is geared at improving the outcomes of education in Botswana.

He therefore stated that the On-line services launched are at the core of the country goal saying the education sector seeks to make ICT a core driver of teaching and learning.

He said he believes that the institution would eventually spread its influence to the entire public education space so that citizens may have full access to the array of knowledge sources locally and internationally.

Mr Molao said he was grateful that the college has already developed a portal or repository for some of its interactive on-line programmes that could be accessed by BOCODOL tutors and registered students.

He complemented the on-line launch saying BOCODOL has now made e-learning a reality for Botswana.

He nevertheless issued a word of caution regarding induction of technology saying in a number of developing countries, there has been wholesale and instantaneous shift to on-line and e-learning which unfortunately led to marginalisation of the very people that were supposed to be empowered through distance education.

For his part the BOCODOL executive director Dr Daniel Tau said the mandate of the institution is to extend education and training to out-of-school youth and adults using ODL methodologies on a nation-wide scale.

Dr Tau also said they were to increase access on a nation-wide scale for improved quality of life.

Regarding the On-line Services, he said the institution has 39 programmes and an annual enrolment of around 14 000 and urged Batswana to make use of the on-line services to better their lives. Ends