14 Oct 2025

Youth in Manyana is grappling not only with school dropouts but also high unemployment and low literacy rates.

The concern was raised by Acting Director at the University of Botswana’s Careers and Counselling Centre, Mr Selebaleng Mmapatsi during an engagement event with the out-of-school youths in Manyana recently.

He however highlighted the village’s rich cultural diversity and the unexplored talents of its youth, saying they could use those to empower themselves. He said the University of Botswana organised the engagement activity through the invitation of the village’s youth committee to address the rising concerns surrounding the youths. 

He emphasised that the institution’s outreach efforts aimed to serve the Manyana community and fulfill its mandate of community service, through career guidance and counselling, underscoring their responsibility to help in community development. 

The Village Extension Team chairperson for Manyana, Mr Petros Mosomane encouraged the youth to stay focused saying that education was key to unlocking opportunities. He acknowledged that, as an educator, he understood the challenges they faced in completing their academic journeys.

“Your circumstances do not define your destiny,” he said, urging them to recognise that their potential for greatness was not determined by the hurdles they encountered.

Mr Mosomane encouraged them to seize available opportunities, whether through formal or informal education, while also highlighting the potential obstacles they might face along the way. He urged them to believe in themselves and support one another.

A youth representative, Mr Letlotlo Mothei said the engagement was a good step in helping his peers deal with educational and unemployment struggles they faced. Mr Mothei, whose academic journey went as far as Form 3, said his interest was in entrepreneurship.

“The Local Authority Enterprise (LEA) efforts are promising and encouraging,” he said, adding that LEA personnel stated that they assisted people venturing into businesses from the start through to production and identifying the market platforms.

He said the youth could benefit more from LEA through mentorship from professionals on how to run the business without going through a formal school set up. Furthermore, he encouraged the youth to consider informal education and not give up on learning as life today required one to have education achievements. 

Some of the stakeholders who showcased at the event were Botswana Open University, Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, University of Botswana and LEA. ENDS