Editor’s Note

Botswana Education Hub Newsletter October 2014

October 2014VOLUME 3• 2nd edition

Online Newsletter October Edition

BOTSWANA

FEATURES:• Adopt A School Regional Meetings• UB Stakeholder Career Consultative forum• Motsumi Grey Water Recycling Project• Top Achievers Farewell Dinner

EDUCATIONHUB

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S NOTE 03

BEH DIRECTOR CONSULTS SCHOOL HEADS 04

MOTSUMI CJSS WATER RECYCLING PROJECT 06

ADOPT A SCHOOL UPDATE 06

BEH SENDS TOP ACHIEVERS ABROAD IN STYLE 08

OHIO UNIVERSITY SETSWANA FELLOW 11

UB HOLDS STAKEHOLDER CAREER CONSULTATIVE FORUM 10

2014 TOP ACHIEVERS SCHOLARSHIP ROADSHOW 12

CONTENT

BOTSWANAEDUCATION

HUB“This time we want to re� ect with you the concept of partnership in education. It has become a buzzword in a lot of forums, even beyond education. Everybody is decrying ‘lack of support’, ‘no synergy’, ‘working in silos’ etc. Who is fooling who? Can someone unravel this scenario. We are in the same room yet we say that we cannot work together. “

Editor’s Note

Botswana Education Hub Newsletter October 2014CONTENT

Mr Labane E. MokgosiDirector Botswana Education Hub

Welcome once more into Education Hub reading room. We are always excited and looking forward to sharing our news with our readers, customers, admires, partners, students, teachers, educationists, researchers and the whole nation. It makes us contentious to do so, really!

This time we want to refl ect with you the concept of partnership in education. I was particularly reminded by this at a recent UB forum I attended where the importance of working together in education was emphasized. It has become a buzzword in a lot of forums, even beyond education. Everybody is decrying ‘lack of support’, ‘no synergy’, ‘working in silos’ etc. Who is fooling who? Can someone unravel this scenario. We are in the same room yet we say that we cannot work together.

I have been wondering what it takes to work together, if we need someone from somewhere to make us consult each other, to appreciate what distinct and special roles we play to make someone succeed. I was motivated to go out and ask people why departments within the same ministry cannot work together to achieve the ministry mandate, why employees within the same organization fail to clique, why education agencies in the government cannot pull resources together to serve the citizen.From my desktop research, some reasons for silos in the government are fragmented policies, duplicated services, service gaps and inadequate communication between agencies, lack of respect of other agencies (I can’t attend their meeting, it’s not important for me) incapable supervisors, sense of comfort and belonging (I will do as I have always done it), stagnant leadership, organisational cultures (they don’t work like we do) and historical working relations (it has always been like that).These divisions then come at a cost because issues and challenges facing the customer require a holistic approach. There is a school of thought that perhaps compartmentalization of services through departments is the cause for policy delinks and isolated actions and initiatives. The proponents argue for seamless public service that will be faced with localities or communities. For instance Chobe District would have a head, who would have staff with diff erent skills to address diff erent challenges in the district.

Scott D Pattison however says that no one structure in any government may be perfect for all. The structure is not important, however. What is important is creating bridges across silos, improving communication between departments (and staff ) and ensuring that they are working effi ciently toward the same goals. It is not as easy to do as said otherwise it would have been done.

Editor’s Note

03

BEH Director Consults School Heads

The teams were very appreciative of the intentions of the Award. They asked questions such as How the Award will be funded and if teachers will be paid overtime. The Award Coordinator responded by telling them that the Award is basically for individuals who volunteer to make their lives better and to assist the youth develop, therefore there is no allowance paid for the volunteer work. Costs may be incurred when students have to do adventurous journey. Mmadinare School Head advised that the schools can use the out-of-school vote to fund the Award activities. The Director advised that he will assist solicit funds from companies and organisations.

On progress to implement the Award, some teachers have volunteered to implement the Award and students have registered to pioneer the Award. Further, they have started consultative processes with teachers, students, PTAs, Kgosi, Village Extension Teams and the community.

BEH Director Consults School Heads

BEH witnesses Motsumi CJSS Grey Water Recycling Project

On the 18 Sept 2014,BEH attended Motsumi CJSS Grey Water Recycling Project in Letlhakane. The Director, Mr Mokgosi attended the event to witness a product of partnership in Central Region. In attendance was the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals Energy and Water Resources Mr Macheng Macheng, Central Region Director, Ms Molebi Morolong, Water Aff airs Regional Manager, Mr Kago and Deputy Director, MWEWR Ms Bogadi Mathangwane.

On handing over of the Grey Water Recycling project to Central Region, Mr Macheng told the gathering that the project uses water that was used at the kitchen, showers and toilets to be reused in watering the garden and sports fi eld. He said, “The second phase is to clean the same water for drinking and other uses. MMEWR is ready to assist the MoESD to provide technical advice and equipment to clean the water”.

He informed the audience that the project has brought down the water bills for the school drastically.Botswana is faced by challenges of water salination, evaporation etc, hence the need to reuse our water. Mr Macheng went on to says that 200million liters is demanded annually by the nation and this will rise in the next two years or more. While facing water shortages, the Government is in the process to draw water from Chobe Zambezi river to supplement water needs for the country especially moving into the future.

Botswana also has to use alternative water sources; rain water and reuse it at domestic, institutional, commercial and industrial levels. He called all to conserve water and energy; from Load shedding to conservation.

Mr Macheng said, “Besides Motsumi, other schools in such water recycling projects are Our Lady of the Desert School in Francistown, Shoshong SSS, Mbirumba Trust Project and Madiba SSS”.

Regional Director, Mrs Morolong received the project on behalf of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development. She said, “The project started years back in 2011. Using used water requires a paradigm shift and new mindsets”.

In March 2013 Motsumi CJSS used 138 404litres of water, but used 16 000 litres in March this year .This can continue to happen provided we also do not put oil in the water at the kitchen. In Shoshong underground collected rain water is used at the toilets.

04 05

On the week of the 15 to 19 September, BEH Director Mr Labane Mokgosi visited schools that will implement the Duke of Edinburgh International Award in September 2014. The two schools are Moeding College and Mmadinare Senior Secondary School. The objective of his visit was to consult with the school management and establish level of readiness at the two schools.

At Moeding, the School Management comprised of Ms Baby Kelaotswe who is the Award Supervisor, School Head Ms Kgomela, Deputy Head Mr Joseph Mooketsi and HODs Ms Seitshiro, Ms Moalosi, Ms Bachopi, Mr Tafa and Mr Motsisi. Mmadinare Senior had the School Head who is Mr Oagile Mookodi, Deputy Head Mr Phuthego, Senior Teacher Guidance and Counselling 1, Ms Tshambani and Award Supervisor, Ms Malebogo Dikalanyane.

To make the management teams appreciate the Award better, he briefed them about BEH mandate and objectives. Thereafter, he went into the International Award philosophy, guiding principles and the four sections which are service, skills, physical recreation and adventurous journey. The Director is the Award coordinator and he is assisted by Ms Gertrude Lowani and Ms Annah Koboyatau as Award Leaders. All have been taken through training in Nairobi, Kenya where the regional offi ce for Africa is.

From the Coordinator’s Desk Adopt A School Regional Presentations

Botswana Education Hub will for the months of September, October and November address the school heads countrywide on Adopt A School intended goals, principles and processes. This comes about as a result of factors.

BEH is seeing a common trend to treat Adopt A School like donations and regional offi ces through the Chief Education Offi cers are not providing reliable information to schools about the initiative. BEH emphasizes the need to have a long term relationship in Adopt A School and that an MOU should be signed to signify that, for both record keeping and to inform the partners about their roles. The PS is the only signatory offi ce of the MoESD MOUs.

Already BEH has addressed school heads in Kgatleng and South East Regions.

06 07

From the Coordinator’s Desk

BEH Sends Top Achievers Abroad in Style

Botswana Education Hub sent the 2013 top achievers to their respective international universities in style on the 29th August 2014. They were treated to a sumptuous dinner at Phakalane Golf Resort where the PS was the Chief Guest of the session.After the BEH Director, Mr Mokgosi had made formal introductions, the Coordinator Mr Moahi briefl y welcomed the parents and the students to the dinner. DTEF Director, Mr Marcos Maedza was also asked to give a motivation to the students. He likened them to ‘cheese’, that they are the cream of the country and so the nation was expecting a lot from them. He was however cautious that ‘What if they do not come back to Botswana?” How will be produce more cheese in multiples if all the cream stays away?.

Mr Richard Matlhare, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development said, “not many countries can do what Botswana is doing with the limited resources that we have, their tuition fees is paid from tax payers pocket, they must come back and plough into the economy”. He advised the parent and candidates that Botswana through such programmes, wishes to transform from a resource based economy to a knowledge based economy so that ultimately she can export skills to other countries. He called upon them to refl ect on our investment such as this.

He mentioned that sending students to top most universities in the world is a long term investment. Already 344 students have benefi tted at P36million investment which could have been used for physical infrastructure development such as houses and roads, but it is used for human resources development. In 2014, 34 students sent outright after passing with 6A*, and the other 43 went through A Levels in Category B. At the end, PS thanked the teachers for the marvelous work they do to produce such students. Botswana is proud of them and they earned it; some through tutorials, remedially, supplementary lessons etc

One of the top Achievers; Mr Shawn Masitara gave a vote of thanks and appreciated this great opportunity that Botswana Government is giving its citizens to expand knowledge in developed countries. He never thought that will one day they will be sponsored to a top university in the world. He thanked DTEF, BEH, parents, God and schools.

Thereafter it was abundant food and music for everybody

08 09

MOTSWANA GRADUATE BECOMES OHIO UNIVERSITY SETSWANA FELLOW

Mr Keith Phetlhe, BA Humanities holder from UB has been selected to join Ohio University, in USA as a Setswana Fellow. Mr Phetlhe, who just completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Education, topped his Bachelor of Humanities class of 2013, which provided him the opportunity to benefi t from the fellowship. MoESD and Ohio University have an existing Memorandum of Understanding that among other things gives Batswana scholarship opportunities at the university for both undergraduate and graduate programmes. Ohio University is also a depository for Botswana Collection. Setswana Fellowship comes with opportunity to study for a Masters Degree and Doctorate while teaching Setswana in the Ohio University. Part of the personal stipend will be provided by the Botswana Government, but the Fellow will get an allowance from off ering teaching and associated services to the university.Keith has fi nished his application process and left to US in August this year.

UB Holds Stakeholder Career Consultative Forum

University of Botswana Guidance and Counselling Department held a Career Consultative Forum at Gaborone Sun on the 8th September 2014 whose main objectives were to consult with stakeholders on eff ective strategies of providing career guidance to their students prior to leaving their institution and to identify the key skills needed to produce work-ready graduates.

At the forum students were given the opportunity to share their experiences of working with UB Department of Guidance and Counseling. Shathani said she learnt a lot about relationships because they determine productivity and develop interpersonal skills for leadership, that is using people in your team to produce good results and gain confi dence.

Mrs Margaret Baiketsi from HRDC gave the Keynote Address. She said that it is important for institutions to research on future needs of careers needs. Botswana has too many small institutions for a small population, low ranking institutions and curriculum that is deft through partnership with the industry. HRDC strategy hi lights importance of challenging global challenges and integrated life circle. She mentioned the obvious fragmentation at sector levels, which is not serving Batswana in any way.

Mr Molobe of BOCCIM told the forum that Basic Education is important teach foundation to learners. At university level, the focus should be on skills and beyond. Universities should associate with associations and bodies in banking, tourism, law etc. to fi ll in gaps in the labour markets e.g.

Accounting.

BOCCIM expectations (as an Employer) from graduates are skills such as speaking and writing, assertiveness, public speaking, confi dence, attitude towards work against a sense of entitlement that they see in today’s graduates.

Collectively the participants agreed that there is need to provide skills that will make the graduates job ready through proper career guidance, internships and infusion of soft skills in the studies.

10 11

Botswana Education Hub introduced Top Achievers Scholarship Road Show (TASR) for the first time in July/August 2013 and it has now developed into an annual event. This is an awareness activity targeting Senior Secondary Schools country wide. This year, TASR started on the 23rd June and ending on the 14th July 2014. The main aim is to motivate learners so that they can work hard to qualify for this lucrative scholarship hence enforcing and encouraging competition among young learners in schools.

Top Achievers Scholarship is a unique support given to learners with outstanding academic performance to pursue courses that are of strategic economic importance. Learners are first sponsored to do A’ Level or International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) or equivalent pre university programmes and this enables them to access the best most sort universities in the world. The requirement for the scholarship are that prospective learners should obtain a minimum of 6A* for Category A or a minimum of 4A* for Category B at Botswana General Certificate of secondary Education (BGCSE) or equivalent examination in one sitting. If a learner qualifies for Category A, he/she starts her pre university course abroad while those who qualifies for Category B start locally before going abroad for their first degree programmes.

In 2014 all senior secondary schools were visited and presentations were done as a way of motivating the learners. Four (4) different groups were formed and each led by Botswana Education Hub Officers. Other members of each group were current beneficiaries of the Scholarship, Student Network representative and officers from local schools which offer A’level or IBD programmes. Presentations were done in the mornings during assembly time while some were done in the afternoons at 1400 hrs and they mostly lasted for one to two hours. In total all 32 senior secondary schools were addressed.BEH would like to thank the schools for the preparations they made in readiness for the talks. We trust that these go a long way in influencing quality in senior secondary school education.

2014 Top Achievers Scholarship Road-show

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Dolly Tau addressing students during the top Achievers Road - Show at Macha College.

designed and published by Thapelo Kebalepile