Higher Education Minister visits GIPS in nationwide tour

Johannes Kambai | Tuesday June 9, 2026 13:47

The minister, accompanied by senior ministry officials including Permanent Secretary Professor Richard Tabulawa, Transformation Director Gladys Ngwebula, and other key personnel, was warmly received at GIPS.

This visit marks one of the early stops in a planned assessment of approximately 40 private education and training providers (ETP) across the country. Speaking during the engagement, Minister Maele explained the rationale behind the initiative.

“In the recent past, we had the higher education sub HLCC (Sector High-Level Consultative Committee) ... One of the resolutions that we made at that meeting was that I should visit all private tertiary institutions to be able to appreciate what they are doing so that I know that where I am putting my money, I have value for my life. That is why we are here,” he said.

He noted that the ministry has already visited three institutions and intends to complete the tour within two weeks.

“I want to visit all of them, because I want to be able to appreciate what they are doing and whether or not we should continue spending our money in those private institutions,” Maele added.

The tour comes against the backdrop of pressing national challenges, particularly youth unemployment and the need for economic diversification. The minister emphasised that the Ministry of Higher Education is prioritising Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), often referred to as 'Tibet' in the transcript.

“As the Ministry of Higher Education, we are responsible for skills development... We must propel skills development because, as you know, unemployment in Botswana is one of the problems that is rearing its ugly head, and therefore, we are saying because it is particularly affecting the youth, let's try to combat it as much as we can,” Maele stated.

He highlighted the limited capacity of public technical colleges and brigades, which can accommodate only around 5,000 students, compared with a potential 8,000. Private providers like GIPS are seen as critical partners.

“We have made a deliberate decision that going forward, we now want to put a particular and specific number that will be sponsored for TVET... starting next year, we must set aside a number that will say this is just a sponsorship for TVET,” the minister announced.

Maele drew on international benchmarking, including visits to Europe and Romania, where privatised TVET and industry partnerships have driven significant progress. He praised the 'dual TVET' model observed in Romania, where industries set up laboratories within institutions and participate in curriculum development, equipment selection, and training, resulting in nearly 100% graduate absorption.

At GIPS, the minister expressed strong satisfaction with the facilities, particularly the simulated garage and practical training setups.

“I must confess that we are very impressed with what we saw. I really liked it... The warm reception that we got this morning is beyond my expectations, and I really want to thank you for that,” he said.

He urged GIPS and other private institutions to deepen collaboration with industry to eliminate skills mismatch.

“We must actually bring the industry closer to us. Because what we produce must actually be absorbed by the industry... When I was in Romania... 99.9% of students who were trained... were actually absorbed.”

The minister also encouraged institutions to market themselves aggressively ahead of the national sponsorship launch scheduled for July 6, 2026, at 2:30 pm. From that day, students will select their preferred institutions, placing the onus on providers to attract enrolments.

“Don’t tell me that your numbers are low. If your numbers are low, it means that your marketing team is not doing a good job,” he remarked.

Maele repeatedly stressed the future of TVET, describing it as 'sexy' to appeal to young people and positioning it as resilient even in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

“AI has taken over... But can I be able to do my plumbing with AI? The answer is no. That’s why I am saying TVET is the way to go because AI has not been able to penetrate TVET.”

This tour signals a strategic policy shift towards greater investment in practical, industry-aligned skills development to drive self-employment, job creation, and economic growth in Botswana. Further visits to other institutions are expected in the coming days.