The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) has launched the Student Affairs Services Norms and Standards, aimed at encouraging tertiary institutions to focus on the welfare of the learners by proving quality non-academic services.

The Student Affairs Services Norms and Standards build on a number of institutional planning instruments and frameworks covering issues of governance, enrolment, academics, finance, infrastructure and information management aimed at improving institutional efficiency and effectiveness.

Botswana’s tertiary education sector has seen unprecedented boom in the last 10 years. During the 2014/15 financial year, of the 60 583 student enrolled in tertiary institutions, 95 per cent were reported to be government sponsored. This has consequently resulted in tuition fees and allowances spent by government on sponsored students averaging P2 billion in the last seven years.

The Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology has also drastically reduced the number of students sent to study abroad. During the 2007/08 financial year 2706 students were sent to study abroad compared to only 204 during the 2014/15 financial year.
Botswana is the highest spender on education in proportion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the region but remain inferior to countries like South Africa, Namibia and Mauritius in terms of access to tertiary education.

According to Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology Fidelis Molao, the current total enrolment stand at 56 447 students, a slight decline from the last three years or so. Molao who was officiating at the launch of Students Affairs Services Norms and Standards in Palapye this week said 62 percent of the current enrolment is in public institutions, while the remaining 38 percent is in private tertiary institutions.  

Despite this growth, The Global Competiveness Report, compiled by World Economic Forum has repeatedly stated that Botswana’s enrolment remains lower by international standards especially for an upper-middle income country. In the 2014/15 report Botswana was ranked 114 out of 144 countries in the world, while Finland has been consistently ranked higher than almost all competing economies.

While the government could have seen a boom in the local tertiary institutions, there has always been a debate surrounding the mushrooming of private institution with regard to their credibility and quality of education. There is general believe that private institutions, unlike public institution are dread for profit entities, concerned only with maximising their profits.

The Students Services Norms and Standards, according to Minister Molao has been brought on board upon the recognition that a lot needs to be done in tertiary institutions as far as non-academic services are concerned in Botswana’s tertiary education sector. “This sudden growth consequently resulted in a substantially expanding and sophisticated tertiary education system. This calls for a deliberate and comprehensive student development policies and programs,” said the Assistant Minister.

“For instance, the consistently increasing cost of living has created a precarious situation for students as far as their residences and well being are concerned. The reality of the matter is that, few if any, of the private institutions offer on-campus resident.” Molao said the unavailability of on-campus accommodation for students in private institutions has forced them to look for accommodation in not so ideal housing arrangements while some of them have to travel long distances on daily basis for their studies.

“We can no longer leave issues of student support, retention, success and employability to chance. As one of the precursors to the development of SAS Norms and Standards, a situational analysis of the tertiary institutions in Botswana was undertaken and it emerged that a lot still needs to be done,” he observed.

Subsequent to the study, the HRDC compiled the guidelines for institutions on how to put in place learner support strategies and programs. The Norms and Standards cover ten functions areas, namely; Academic Advising and Support, Personnel Counselling and Support, Health and Wellness, Residence Life, Sports and Recreation, Student Leadership and Governance, Welcoming and Orientation, Career Development Services, Special Needs Services and HIV/AIDS Services.  

In recent years, a number of tertiary institutions, including University of Botswana have been plugged in student riots on various issues, including academics affairs and most importantly students’ welfare. It is believed that the Student Affairs Services Norms and Standards could force institutions to bend in favour of students by ensuring provisions of certain services to students as required by the guidelines.

“To students leaders, familiarise yourself with these instruments and share them with your peers as articulated by the students charter developed by HRDC and endorsed by yourselves,” Molao said. The Students Affairs Services Norms and Standards takes into consideration a number of factors for implementation, among them; the size of institutions in terms of student numbers, as they vary from quite a small number (less than 500) to quite a large number (more than 8000);

general multi-discipline institutions covering wide array of knowledge areas to single discipline institutions covering sometimes only one or only a few specific and closely related knowledge areas and institutions in which residences and residence life features strongly in their institutional architecture to institutions  that do not provide residence for students or do so in very limited ways.

The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) Vice Chancellor Professor Otlogetswe Totolo has welcomed the introduction of Norms and Standards for students. “These SAS Norms and Standards are meant to guide institutions in developing policies and programmes geared towards improving the overall students’ experience by providing the necessary  support, and enhancing student completion and through put rates as a contribution to the creation of a knowledge based economy,” he said.

Totolo, whose university hosted the launch said although BIUST and HRDC do not have a Memorandum of Understanding on Norms and Standards, they will implement them because they are a premier university that follows international best practice. “We accept norms and standards with open arms and are ready to apply them at our university. We believe in the observance of excellence and quality in what we do, how we take decision, and how we implement our mandate.”  The launch had also attracted leaders of other tertiary institutions in Botswana.