08 Nov 2023

 The Ministry of Education and Skills Development provides sponsorship for progressing students from brigades to technical colleges and universities and 1 201 students have received such sponsorship since 2019.

Assistant Minister Aubrey Lesaso explained to Parliament that of the total, 995 were progressing from brigades to technical colleges while 206 were progressing from diploma to degree qualifications.

“The criteria for qualification for sponsorship does not include information on the area for the sponsorship applicant, but a total of 719 students from remote area communities have benefitted from sponsorship for entry into tertiary education and universities since 2019,” he said.

Mr Lesaso also explained that National Craft Certificate (NCC) holders from brigades and technical colleges who had never been sponsored by the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF) were eligible for progression sponsorship to further education provided they were below the age of 35.

He said all NCC and Trade Test B holders from brigades were provided with progression sponsorship to diploma offering technical colleges under the Teacher Training and Technical Education progression sponsorship.

“My ministry however, experienced budget constraints to sponsor students progressing from diploma to degree under DTEF sponsorship,” he said.

He explained that the ministry re-assessed its budgetary allocation annually in an effort to assist as many progressing students as possible, and that the ministry was currently undertaking a holistic review of the sponsorship policy to ensure its efficiency.He said normally, the placement and screening of learners took a maximum of two weeks, but once sponsorship letters had been issued, the process took less than ten days following automation of the sponsorship application system.

Mr Lesaso was responding  to Jwaneng/Mabutsane Member of Parliament, Mr Mephato Reatile who had requested to be apprised on the sponsorship of students who applied for progression from brigades and technical colleges to universities and the number of those similarly sponsored in his constituency.

He also asked whether NCC holders from brigades and technical colleges who had never been sponsored by DTEF were eligible for such sponsorship progression.

Mr Reatile also wanted to know the number of students from remote area communities in his area that had benefited and how the ministry planned to increase access to funding for continuing students who have not yet benefited from DTEF. ENDS