28 Aug 2016

Development is like an undefined, unlevelled playing field that has no clear boundaries and no specified number of players or teams competing against each other, says University of Botswana Vice Chancellor Prof. Thabo Fako.

Speaking at Bot50 Lecture on Upholding a Culture of Human Rights, Peace, Diversity and Inclusivity in Botswana, Prof. Fako said there are several moving goal posts scattered haphazardly around an uneven field.

He said in this respect, players can enter and leave the field whenever they want and they can claim to have scored in any part of the field and to have won the game at any time that they wish.

Prof. Fako noted that while development is a game that is played as if it makes sense, today there are more billionaires that 10 years ago yet the gap between the rich and the poor has widened significantly.

“We have more people who have developed from a dependency syndrome to an entrenched entitlement mentality,” he said the spirit of self-help has rapidly eroded because of claim for higher levels of development.

There is less self-discipline, less willingness to work hard, less conscientiousness, less commitment, less selflessness, less sense of a common purpose and destiny, he said .

On the issue of education, he said success in one’s education comes from conscientious, passionate, dedicated, disciplined and unrelenting or indefatigable application of oneself in any human endeavor.

He said real education and learning happens in real life and not in school as it is often projected.

The Vice Chancellor observed that schooling is often presented as if it is education which must produce relevant job ready graduates that will contribute directly to development.

“While certain professions that are found in universities such as medicine, engineering and law may be vocationally relevant, it should always be kept in mind that a university is not a vocational, technical or professional institution,” he said.

He said a university produces graduates with intellectual abilities that should enable them to fit and adopt in a broad spectrum of jobs but can be trained by employers as diplomats, as bureaucrats, as teachers, research scholars and as university dons.

“You can groom them in etiquette, protocol, pomp and pageantry,” he said they can be trained on the job and have the skills to survive and succeed in real life.

Political activist and newspaper columnist Mr Michael Dingake said man has made tremendous achievement on planet earth due to the harmonious relationship with one another as individuals, families, groups and nations.

Speaking at the same lecture, he said although the Human Rights notion came into prominence in the written form, it does not imply that Batswana and other nations did not have a culture of adherence to human right values. ENDS