Next week one of the iconic ladies in Botswana whose role in the development of the country stands out, Dr Gaositwe Chiepe turns 100 years of age.
DR Chiepe was born in October 20, 1922. She is a former politician with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party and diplomat. She was Botswana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Nigeria. Dr Chiepe was also an ambassador to West Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the European Economic Community.
She was Botswana's Minister for Trade and Industry in 1977 and in 1984 she became Minister of Foreign Affairs. She then later served as Minister of Education from 1994 to 1999. However, this is not all, Dr Chiepe counts a number of firsts to her name; she was the first Motswana lady to earn a diploma and college degree and the first Motswana lady to earn a postgraduate degree.
At Botswana’s independence in 1966, Dr Chiepe became Botswana’s first director of education and was asked to design a system that would bring education to people across the nation based on a homegrown curriculum, which was sensitive and fair for all the communities that make up Botswana. The country’s modern policies, which are designed to give all children access to basic education and to maximise enrolment levels, stem from the efforts made by Dr Chiepe and her colleagues during her years in the education portfolio.
Today, Botswana boasts one of Africa’s highest literacy rates, and one of the continent’s highest progression rates from primary, to secondary and tertiary education. In addition to her work in education,
On other matters, Dr Chiepe also takes pride in being; First Female African High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1970-1974) Cabinet Minister, Republic of Botswana (1974-1999) Commander, Royal Order of Polar Star, King of Sweden (2006) Grand Cordon, Order of the Rising Sun, Japan (2010)
