10 Mar 2014

Member of Parliament for Okavango, Mr Bagalatia Arone says there is need for area specific training in order for citizens to tap in to industries that the country is dependable on like mining and tourism.

Officially opening the Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DTVET) inaugural skills competitions in Gaborone on Friday March 7, Mr Arone who is the Parliamentary Committee on Education chairperson, said Batswana should be encouraged to pursue careers in cadres that vastly support the economy of the country.

Thus, Mr Arone challenged lecturers to continue learning themselves and acquire more education accolades which he said will motivate the younger generation.

The MP said the biggest mistake people made was thinking that teachers were not learned enough citing examples of Singapore and Finland whom he said took advantage of their top achievers and transform them to teachers instead of some country with the notion that teachers were failures.

That, he said would help produce a learned nation in that top achievers then turn into reputable teachers who then transfer their skills and knowledge to learners.  “We cannot be pronounced as a moving forward nation if we still don’t own an invention, it’s time we invent our own things,” he noted.

He said technical orientation was imperative, adding that technical education should be promoted as the country needed technical skills to build roads and construct infrastructure. Mr Arone said no country should neglect technical skills as these can help navigate a country to economic diversification.

The MP encouraged the technical and vocational learners to put on their overalls and helmets with pride because they are an investment to this country, “do not look down upon yourselves nor compare yourselves with the suit and tie workers.”

Giving an overview of the skills competition, the chairperson of the competition, Ms Mildred Boduwe said the competition intended to showcase skills acquired by students during their training.

Ms Boduwe also said students were given tasks at their respective institutions competing in different cadres where the best were selected to compete at the finals.

The competition comprised students from brigades and vocational training centres across the country as they competed under multimedia, hairdressing, clothing design and textile, electrical, culinary arts, ICT and bricklaying and plastering.

She highlighted that the vocational and training centre was not a sector for failures hence wanted all their products to appreciate the skills acquired from the schools. Ms Boduwe said as the DVET, they strived to improve their image partaking in national career fairs so that people knew who they were. Ends