03 Feb 2014

An estimated 29 per cent of the 2014/2015 total budget is proposed for allocation to the education and skills development sector.

Finance and development planning minister, Mr Kenneth Matambo said this when delivering the 2014/15 budget speech in Parliament on February 3. Mr Matambo said this was in recognition of the importance of human capital development to the country’s economy.

He said government had over the past years allocated about a quarter of the total budget to education and skills development and this trend would continue in the next financial year. However, the finance and development planning minister said the sector continued to face challenges, which included the quality and relevance to the job market requirements of the skills obtained.

In this regard, he said in August 2013, the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) and Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) bills were passed by Parliament and the two agencies were to start operations during the course of this calendar year.

Furthermore, Mr Matambo said the Botswana Examinations Council Act was also being reviewed to be aligned to the HRDC and BQA and its new mandate would include moderation and assessment of vocational education and training to ensure that they were responsive to the labour market needs.

The availability of trained labour force, Mr Matambo said was critical to private investment, which was necessary for economic growth, adding that a skilled workforce also contributed to the overall productivity of the economy, which was necessary for its competitiveness. “It is for this reason that government has continued to invest in human capital development as a part of its strategy for promoting sustainable economic growth,” he said. ENDS