Africa an oasis for young graduates

Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Monday June 9, 2014 17:40

 

As living proof, today she is one of the founding shareholders in one of the biggest universities in Botswana, Botho a success story by any means.

As Botswana’s first private university, Botho has contributed to the development of higher education as the enrolment of students has been steadily increasing over the last six years.

In the last 17 years Botho University has produced a large pool of graduates and today offers 15 programmes, with more planned to be offered in the near future.

For Ram it has been like a fairy tale. After graduating from a major science institution back in India, Ram came to Botswana armed with a master’s degree in Physics.

Today she owns one of the fastest growing universities in Africa where she is also the Vice Chancellor.

Sheela Raja Ram wants her graduates to be armed with the knowledge that it is Africa that is the world’s fastest growing economy.  She wants them to realise the endless opportunities waiting to be explored and exploited like she did when she first landed in Botswana, 19 years ago.

Last week Ram’s university paraded 650 graduates in master’s degrees and postgraduate professional diplomas. She wants them to focus their attention on Africa, not Europe or America.

She actually wants her graduates to think outside the box, beyond the degrees or diplomas they hold, like she did when she landed in Botswana. She managed to make something of her thermo dynamics and quantum physics degree in a country where there is no space programme to utilise her skills.

While in Botswana Ram had to reinvent herself, as she puts it, her personal growth did not depend much on her academic qualifications.

Instead it was the other important skills that she had to learn the hard way.  While in Botswana she had to hone skills including networking, communication, having a sense of adventure, being persistent, and working harder than everyone around her.

“I can tell you today that this experience has been exhilarating and worth every drop of sweat,” she said.