TEC to hold education fair

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday January 20, 2010 00:00

Speaking at a stakeholders briefing yesterday, TEC's executive secretary Dr Patrick Molutsi said the fair would advise Form Five leavers and the working force on which career paths are marketable in Botswana. He asserted that the fair would be used to promote the mandate of the TEC and attract foreign students into the country. 'TEC would like the fair to position all the registered institutions as contemporary entities that adhere to global standards,' Molutsi said.

Molutsi revealed that for the past three years external institutions have come into the country to stage their education fairs with the main goal of recruiting students to their universities. 'It is not like we are trying to be copycats, we just feel that we are ready, like never before to stage our own education fair to showcase the programmes offered by our own institutions. 'It is important to position Botswana as a destination for tertiary education,' he said adding that the fair will be an annual event.

He also explained that while the event will be staged in Gaborone this year, it will be taken to other parts of the country in the following years 

He also revealed that they have just returned from traveling all over the country addressing the issue of illegal operators. 'We know we have been trying to deal with them but it has taken time. Now we are taking action against those operators because it is illegal, corrupt and unacceptable to operate as a university or college without having been registered,' he said.

Molutsi further revealed that TEC has developed a funding model on how government will be spending money in each institution, which is awaiting approval by cabinet in the first quarter of the year.  The briefing, which was attended by all representatives from public and private tertiary institutions, was held at a Gaborone hotel.