27 Nov 2018

Over its 17-year period, the Botswana Open University (BOU), formerly BOCODOL, has provided 148 811 Batswana the opportunity to study various programmes through the open and distance learning.

 Speaking at the first BOU graduation ceremony recently, President of Business Botswana Mr Gobusamang Keebine said over 74 000 have successfully completed their studies at the university.

Mr Keebine said the graduation was a major academic activity of the institution, being a culmination of strategies and efforts chiseled from the 17 years of BOCODOL legacy, through which the lives of many citizens, who ordinarily would not have been able to have the opportunity to education, have been changed.

He noted that in its maiden year, BOU has enrolled 2 458 students, from this 1 368 graduates from 19 programmes would be conferred with certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and post graduate degrees as well as other academic distinctions.

He said while the number of graduates is impressive, Botswana continues to under-perform on the Global Competitiveness rankings on higher education and training and quality of the education system.

Mr Keebine said in 2017, Botswana ranked 96 and dropped to 125 out of 137 countries in 2018, which he said was a cause for concern.

“The mismatch between the demand and supply of technical skills in the labour market continues to be a concern,” he said.

He said debate continues wherein some blame this on the fact that the supply of skills is not driven by demand from industry, but on what institutions produce, while others believe the mismatch is caused by lack of communication between employers and educationist regarding curriculum development.

He indicated that at Business Botswana, they have an education sector comprising of basic education, secondary and tertiary sub-sectors, which aims to promote and accelerate private sector investment and development through advice and dialogue with government at policy level to the education sector.

Mr Keebine said Business Botswana desires, through the education sector, to see universities produce attractive, competitive and high quality work and industry fit graduates and research that can translate into tangible innovations, inventions, solutions and products that are required by the market constituents.

He said the country’s future prosperity depends on ensuring that its human capital is ready to engage with a world in which the economy is fuelled by knowledgeable workers.

He said BOU seems ready to take up the challenge by providing the opportunity for all citizens to gain relevant skills and knowledge to catapult Botswana to become an innovative and knowledge based economy.

For his part, Vice Chancellor of BOU, Dr Daniel Tau said the university provides industry-relevant education and training, and is keen to help up-skill the national workforce, thus contributing towards sustainable development through lifelong learning.

“We stand ready to help narrow the much talked about skills gap between labour market demands and what education and training offers,” he said. ENDS