Madigele says UNESCO project, an �embarrassment�
Baboki Kayawe | Friday October 20, 2017 14:54
The programme called ‘Better Education for Africa’s Rise’ (BEAR) was launched in 2014 to focus on developing curriculum culinary arts, travel management and hospitality management and rolled out in institutions such as the Gaborone Technical College (GTC).
“This is one of the embarrassing projects. At times examinations have not been taken, results not released or if they come they are very late. I don’t even know what to tell students anymore,” Madigele said.
The minister, together with his deputy permanent secretary, Oupa Masesane were addressing GTC staff and students yesterday. Madigele fired the first salvo, said the Department of Teacher Training and Technical Education is supposed to deliver quality technical and vocational education, but as things stand “there is no value for investment”.
Learners studying for programmes under the BEAR initiative namely Diploma in Hospitality Management, Diploma in Travel Management and Diploma in Culinary Arts have been hit hard by the exam crisis at the institution.
Giving an update of the status quo, a senior lecturer in the Business department, Kabelo Pule said the exam crisis threatens to dent the college’s reputation as well as nullify its qualifications.
“Too many incidents of exam crises have been experienced, particularly for the BEAR project and business, and the minister should put a hawk’s eye on the exam office and help where possible,” he pleaded.
Students who piloted the BEAR project commenced studies in 2014 when the initiative was rolled out, and were supposed to graduate in June 2016 but their stay was extended to December the same year. Moroever, there was yet another extension to April 2017 which was also pushed further to June 2017.
“There will be a graduation soon but we are not sure whether these students will graduate,” Pule said.
At the launch of the programme, Prof Bong Gun Chung stated they intended to share success and practices from the Korean Research Institute of Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) with local experts and lecturers of technical and vocational education training (TVET) in Botswana.
He observed that Botswana’s TVET curriculum was already good compared to other African states, but only needed to be upgraded to the level of Diploma amongst other things.
At the end of the project he said, Botswana will be able to help other African states to develop their TVET curricula through the South-to-South Cooperation, where developing countries assist one another.
The BEAR project was to be implemented in five African countries; Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.