16 Jun 2025

Botswana students studying in Hungary have been urged to work toward being the best in their chosen areas of study and to contribute to the country’s economic revival. 

Addressing the students in Budapest, Hungary on June 14, President Boko remained resolute that over the next three years, the national economy would face a different trajectory, but would require the input of the nation’s brilliant young minds.

“You are the country’s most important resource, you must take it as a personal responsibility to step up. Don’t be ordinary, your boundless energy must be combined with discipline and learning, the quest to strive to be an even better version of yourselves since you are unique, special and can contribute a lot to our nation,” President Boko said.

He further urged the students to return to the country that raised and nurtured them to contribute toward the development.

“As government, we will try to create opportunities and jobs, but we look to you as well for creative ideas. Be entrepreneurial in your approach, be ready to start an endeavour to generate income and create opportunities for others,” the President said.

In addition, he said government had set targets for the country to be digitalised in a short period of time in areas such as telemedicine, smart agriculture and data analytics that could improve service provision, adding that such would require skilled manpower and innovative ideas.

“We also seek to introduce a robust healthcare system and for that we will need doctors and trained medical personnel. As we transform the economy, we will need people able to manufacture and innovate, those who develop the intellectual property and entrepreneurs with solid ideas,” he said.

He called on the youth to read to understand existing information and apply critical thinking to develop new ideas and solutions, as the country required ‘deep knowledge’ from its youth, who should give back to the nation that raised them.

The President noted that the majority of the students were on Hungarian scholarships, which offered good tuition, but may not offer the requisite stipends to cover all daily subsistence requirements.

He said government was engaging the Hungarian authorities on expanding the scholarship to at least 50 students per year and government would consider assisting with subsistence.

Speaking on behalf of the learners, the president of the Botswana Hungary Students Representative Council (SRC), Mr Setlalepula Sentsho, a PhD Business Administration candidate at the University of Pecs, said they took their role as the nation’s ambassadors seriously.

“We encourage each other in our learning and in acquiring soft skills to accompany our formal studies. As the first batch of students here, we realise that good conduct would promote Botswana to the world, while negative behaviour could damage the country’s reputation,” Mr Sentsho said.

Mr Sentsho said they established a formal SRC for peer support and to liaise with the Education Attache at the Botswana Embassy in Sweden.

This particular cohort of 10 students arrived in Hungary in 2023, whereupon they found one self-sponsored Motswana student and were joined by six more in 2024.

The donor-funded scholarships, initially offered to 10 students, have now been doubled to 20 by Hungarian authorities, with negotiations ongoing to expand it further to 50. ENDS