31 Jul 2019

Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Mr Thato Kwerepe has appreciated the Korean government’s assistance under the Bridge Africa Project (BAP).

The project, which is designed to provide better access and quality education for the learners from Out of School Education and Training (OSET) and Early Childhood Development in selected projects, has contributed a lot towards providing quality education and skills development in the country.

Speaking during the official opening of BAP OSET learners’ exhibition held at Nhabe museum under the theme: Bridge Literacy and Skills Development, Mr Kwerepe said the project was officially launched in Botswana in 2016, as a collaboration aimed at strengthening partnership between South Korea National Commission for UNESCO and Botswana National Commission for UNESCO.

The project, he said aimed to empower local communities to be self-sufficient through acquisition of literacy knowledge and skills necessary for eradication of extreme poverty, fostering sustainable development and promotion of economic, social and cultural development in marginalised groups.

From 2016 to date, Mr Kwerepe revealed, the project was able to provide educational support to children and adults from three project sites of Mmaothate in Kweneng region, Kachae and New Xade in the Ghanzi region.

The support provided includes supply of teaching and learning materials, training of teachers/facilitators, training learners in various functional literacy skills and construction of a community learning centre in Mmaothate.

“The main purpose of this exercise is to ensure access to quality education in a safe, friendly and dignified learning environment,” he added.

The assistant minister also stated that the theme was relevantly toned and appropriate to the UNESCO’s 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Vision 2036.

The country’s education system, he said continuously strives to provide learners with appropriate knowledge and skills to apply themselves in the world of work, noting that it was within that context that UNESCO encouraged countries to provide functional literacy skills that include entrepreneurship to equip citizens with appropriate skills for the 21st century learner.

Mr Kwerepe said the BAP assisted OSET through its programmes, which were geared towards providing a gateway to poverty eradication for the learners, who use the acquired knowledge and skills to uplift their lives.

OSET programmes, he said complemented the conventional schooling system at primary level, where access was a challenge due to environmental, social and cultural factors.

OSET accesses learners through; Adult Basic Education Programme (ABEP), Skills Development and Training and Out of School Education for Children (OSEC).

It was reported that when the project started in 2016, ABEP enrolment was 10 in Mmaothate, 17 in New Xade and 11 in Kacgae and this year, 131 learners had enrolled from all the three project sites.

Mr Kwerepe expressed concern about children who are not at school, despite government efforts to provide equal opportunities, lamenting that there were pockets of children, who were eligible for formal primary education, but still remain outside the education system.

Furthermore, he said efforts had been made through BAP, which assisted settlements to ensure such children are enrolled in OSET programmes.

Currently, he said ,89 learners had enrolled in the OSEC programme at Mmaothate, adding that the ultimate intention was to enroll them in the mainstream education system once they reach higher primary level.

He emphasised that literacy has to provide learners with functional skills. Ends