BIUST, MOBE graduate 291 under ICT Teacher Training Programme
News
Two hundred and ninety-one (291) teachers and administrators who enrolled in government’s ICT Teacher Training Programme, COMP 101, graduated at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) campus on Tuesday this week.
The programme is a collaboration between the Ministry of Basic Education (MoBE), the Botswana Schools ICT Association (BoSICTA) and BIUST. The teachers, who were trained on computer basics, were the second cohort to graduate under the programme. Government, through the Basic Education Ministry has embarked on nationwide ICT infrastructure development and in the same breadth, improvement of ICT literacy in all government schools, from Primary, Junior to Secondary schools. A group of Computer Awareness and Computer studies teachers who were keen to deliver in that regard founded BoSICTA, and eventually knocked at the doors of BIUST to help them deliver in that mandate.
A partnership was formed and BIUST would train Trainers who would later train the teachers and administrators, some of which graduated this week. Giving an overview of the initiative, Mmamosetsana Maposa, a representative from the Ministry’s Central District office, said the ministry had set for itself high standards to improve quality of Education by making full use of Information and Communication technology. We have since set our motto to “Discovering the 21st century leaner”. We want educators who can produce learners who can fit anywhere in the world.”
She continued: “To realise this dream, the Ministry has since embarked on nation-wide ICT infrastructure development. Schools are being supplied with tablets to add on to desktop computers that have been supplied before. Efforts are being made to improve access to Internet connectivity. We have since introduced draft computer Awareness syllabus in Primary Schools. All levels of our Basic Education offer computer Awareness and Computer Studies is also offered in Senior Schools as an optional subject.”
So far, she added all syllabi in Secondary Schools have Infused ICT skills, as it is an emerging issue. BIUST, she said, had offered them timely support and there is growing hope that all teachers would be able to deliver their syllabus fully. Maposa said that so far, five regions, being Mahalapye, Palapye, Serowe, Bobonong and Tonota sub-region had graduated under the programme. “Our target is to reach at least 15 teachers in all schools in our remaining 3 sub-regions.”
Giving the keynote address, Managing Director of Dimension Data, Duncan Pie said the initiative was a welcome one, particularly in the 21st century. “You are well positioned to be 21st century teachers and citizens. In this era of Artificial Intelligence computer skills are a basic right. One thing about teachers is they are resourceful and very good planners, now with the added computer knowledge I expect efficiency in our curriculum administration and delivery.” Pie encouraged the graduates to share their acquired knowledge and skills with other colleagues and students.
BoSICTA President, Kobamelo Mogampane said what the association does in schools as agents of Information Technology is paramount to success of all schools in the 21st century. “Our successes and achievements will always be measured by the ability of our schools to shift from traditional method of curriculum delivery which is based on chalk board, and teacher as the source of all information, to where learning is more student centred, where we have the ability to develop creative thinkers.” He said that it is important for teachers to take advantage of the digital world, which brings with it a constant stream of information.
BIUST Vice Chancellor, Prof Otlogetswe Totolo said that it was only right that BIUST as the leading university in science, engineering and ICT training be involved in the initiative. He said the knowledge acquired would help teachers improve on education delivery and its management. “ICT and its integration in education can help in building an inlusive knowledge society for all.
He added: “ICT is seen as an important catalyst and accelerator for development, having the ability to attract investment, create jobs, promote knowledge building and sharing, facilities innovation and contribute to good governance and more importantly efficient and transparent provision of services.” BoSICTA was founded in 2013 and began a relationship with BIUST a few years later, where the university trained teachers and their trainers under the initiative.
News
ENVIRONMENT ISSUES: Masisi asks Virginia for help
President Mokgweetsi Masisi says the issue of sustainable natural resources management has always been an important part of Botswana’s national development agenda.
Masisi was speaking this week on the occasion of a public lecture at Virginia Polytechnic, under theme, “Merging Conservation, Democracy and Sustainable Development in Botswana.”
Botswana, according to Masisi, holds the view that the environment is fragile and as such, must be managed and given the utmost protection to enable the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It is necessary that we engage one another in the interchange of ideas, perspectives, visualizations of social futures, and considerations of possible strategies and courses of action for sustainable development,” said Masisi.
On the other hand, dialogue, in the form of rigorous democratic discourse among stakeholders presents another basis for reconfiguring how people act on their environments, with a view to conserving its resources that “we require to meet our socio-economic development needs on a sustainable basis,” Masisi told attendees at the public lecture.
He said government has a keen interest in understanding the epidemiology and ecology of diseases of both domestic and wild animals. “It is our national interest to forestall the dire consequences of animal diseases on our communities livelihoods.”
President Masisi hoped that both Botswana and Virginia could help each other in curbing contagious diseases of wildlife.
“We believe that Virginia Tech can reasonably share their experiences, research insights and advances in veterinary sciences and medicines, to help us build capacity for knowledge creation and improve efforts of managing and containing contagious diseases of wildlife. The ground is fertile for entering into such a mutually beneficial partnership.”
When explaining environmental issues further, Masisi said efforts of conservation and sustainable development might at times be hampered by the emergence and recurrence of diseases when pathogens mutate and take host of more than one species.
“Water pollution also kills aquatic life, such as fish, which is one of humanity’s much deserved sources of food. In this regard, One Health Approach imposes ecological responsibility upon all of us to care for the environment and the bio-diversity therein.”
He said the production and use of animal vaccines is an important space and tool for conservation, particularly to deal with trans-border animal diseases.
“In Botswana, our 43-year-old national premier pharmaceutical institution called Botswana Vaccine Institute has played its role well. Through its successful production of highly efficacious Foot and Mouth vaccines, the country is able to contain this disease as well as supply vaccines to other countries in the sub-region.:
He has however declared that there is need for more help, saying “We need more capacitation to deal with and contain other types of microbial that affect both animals and human health.”
News
Masisi saddened by deaths of elephant attacks
President Mokgweetsi Masisi has expressed a strong worry over elephants killing people in Botswana. When speaking in Virginia this week, Masisi said it is unfortunate that Batswana have paid a price with their own blood through being attacked by elephants.
“Communities also suffer unimaginable economic losses yearly when their crops are eaten by the elephants. In spite of such incidents of human-elephant conflict, our people embrace living together with the animals. They fully understand wildlife conservation and its economic benefits in tourism.”
In 2018, Nthobogang Samokwase’s father was attacked by an elephant when travelling from the fields, where he stayed during the cropping season.
It was reported that the man couldn’t run because of his age. He was found trampled by the elephant and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
In the same year, in Maun, a 57-year-old British woman was attacked by an elephant at Boro and died upon arrival at the hospital. The woman was with her Motswana partner, and were walking dogs in the evening.
Last month, a Durban woman named Carly Marshall survived an elephant attack while on holiday in the bush in Botswana. She was stabbed by one of the elephant’s tucks through the chest and was left with bruises. Marshall also suffered several fractured ribs from the ordeal.
President Masisi Botswana has the largest population of African elephants in the world, totaling more than 130 000. “This has been possible due to progressive conservation policies, partnerships with the communities, and investment in wildlife management programmes.”
In order to benefit further from wildlife, Masisi indicated that government has re-introduced controlled hunting in 2019 after a four-year pause. “The re-introduction of hunting was done in an open, transparent and democratic way, giving the communities an opportunity to air their views. The funds from the sale of hunting quota goes towards community development and elephant conservation.”
He stressed that for conservation to succeed, the local people must be involved and derive benefits from the natural resources within their localities.
“There must be open and transparent consultations which involve all sectors of the society. It is against this backdrop that as a country, we lead the continent on merging conservation, democracy and sustainable development.”
Masisi stated that Botswana is open to collaborative opportunities, “particularly with identifiable partners such as Virginia Tech, in other essential areas such as conservation, and the study of the interplay among the ecology of diseases of wild animals and plants, and their effects on human health and socio-economic development.”
featured
Gov’t commit to injecting more funds in fighting HIV
Minister for State President Kabo Morwaeng says government will continue to make resources available in terms of financial allocations and human capital to ensure that Botswana achieves the ideal of eradicating HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Morwaeng was speaking this morning in Gaborone at the High-Level Advocacy event to accelerate HIV Prevention in Botswana. He said the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAPHA), in partnership with UNAIDS, UN agencies, the Global Fund and PEPFAR, have started a process of developing transition readiness plan for sustainability of HIV prevention and treatment programmes.
“It is important for us, as a country that has had a fair share of donor support in the response to an epidemic such as HIV and AIDS, to look beyond the period when the level of assistance would have reduced, or ceased, thus calling for domestic financing for all areas which were on donor support.”
Morwaeng said this is important as the such a plan will guarantee that all the gains accrued from the response with donor support will be sustained until the end when “we reach the elimination of HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 20230,” he said.
“I commit to continue support efforts towards strengthened HIV prevention, accentuating HIV primary prevention and treatment as prevention towards Zero New Infections, Zero Stigma, Discrimination and Zero AIDS related death, to end AIDS in Botswana.”
He reiterated that government commits to tackle legislative, policy and programming challenges that act as barriers to the achievement of the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
In the financial year 2022/2023, a total of 119 Civil Society Organizations, including Faith Based Organizations, were contracted with an amount of P100 million to implement HIV and NCDs prevention activities throughout the country, and the money was drawn from the Consolidated Fund.
Through an upcoming HIV Prevention Symposium, technical stakeholders will use outcomes to develop the Botswana HIV Prevention Acceleration Road Map for 2023-2025.
Morwaeng stated that government will support and ensure that Botswana plays its part achieving the road map. He said there is need to put hands on the deck to ensure that Botswana sustains progress made so far in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
“There are tremendous achievements thus far to, reach and surpass the UNAIDS fast track targets of 95%- 95%- 95% by the year 2025. As reflected by the BAIS preliminary results of 2021, we now stand at 95- 98- 98 against the set targets.”
“These achievements challenge us to now shift our gears and strive to know who are the remaining 5% for those aware of their HIV status, 2% of enrolment on treatment by those aware of their status and 2% of viral suppression by those on treatment.”
Explaining this further, Morwaeng said shift in gears should extend to coming up with robust strategies of determining where these remaining people are as well as how they will be reached with the necessary services.
“These are just some of the many variables that are required to ensure that as a country, we are well positioned to reaching the last mile of our country’s response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.”