26 Aug 2013

North East Regional Botswana Business Studies Association chairperson, Mr Magalo Thini has said there is need to impart business knowledge on students.

Speaking at the regional Business Studies Fair at Francistown Senior Secondary School (FSS) over the weekend, Mr Thini said, for some years the country had depended on beef and diamond industries for revenue.

Mr Thini said at a time when the industries were faced with a number of challenges, there was need to impart business knowledge to students so that they would be better positioned to come up with ways of diversifying the economy. He said by imparting such knowledge on the students, they would be able to come up with projects that would not only diversify the economy but also created employment opportunities for their peers.

In an interview, Mr Thini said the schools were divided into Junior Certificate (JC) and Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGSCE). He explained that JC students took part in Commerce and Accounting Quiz, Mini Enterprises and Commerce and Office Procedures Quiz. He elaborated that mini enterprises is whereby students produced products for display.

Mr Thini said on the other hand the BGSCE students competed on Commerce Debates, Accounting, Commerce, Business Studies quizzes and Accounting Problem Solving. Earlier in his welcome remarks, a Head of Department at FSS, Mr Mlandeli Chester said the fair was not only about winning or losing during the competitions but also will furnish students with practical knowledge that they can apply in their examinations.

Debating a motion on whether wholesalers should be eliminated in the chain of distribution of goods, FSS students who were in the affirmative argued that wholesalers should be eliminated so that retailers procure directly from manufacturers. They argued that the inclusion of wholesalers in the chain of distribution increases the costs that the consumer incurs.

In the opposition, Masunga Senior Secondary students argued that by removing wholesalers from the chain a lot of job opportunities will be lost. They argued that wholesalers buy in large quantities and sell to retailers in small quantities a thing that they said favours both the producers and the retailers.

They said wholesalers save time for both the producer and the retailers because producers need not worry about marketing the goods while retailers also get goods quickly.The Masunga students argued that wholesalers offer a variety for the retailers under one roof and they also sell on credit to retailers.
The theme of the fair was “Practical subject, a key to economic diversification.” ENDS