EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE

DEVELOPMENT
DEFINITION OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS
-Human Resource Development: Is the empowerment of workers with skills to
improve efficiency in the work place
-Empowerment: To give someone more control over their life or to do something
-Development: Change, growth or improvement over a certain period of time
-Human Resources: It refers to unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled personnel
-Self Employment: Setting up one’s own business and being paid directly by the
people you provide a product or service to
-Government: The institution charged with running the affairs of the country
-Private sector: All businesses that are owned and managed by the individuals or
group not state owned
-Non-Governmental Organizations: Businesses partly owned by the
government and private companies
Education: The process of learning or acquisition of knowledge and skills

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN PROMOTING ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT
-Education is a cornerstone to any economic development
-It is an engine of economic growth because it produces better workers
-Gives people self-esteem and self-confidence as they develop their unique
abilities
-Education informs policy on economic development
-Education helps to address issues such as population growth, environmental
degradation, HIV/Aids and terrorism which affect economic development
-Education is foundation for technological change and removes cultural barriers
that inhibit development
-Education empowers citizens to become self employed
-It teaches people problem solving and decision making skills
-It promotes networking of economic sectors locally and even globally

THE CHALLENGES OF SELF EMPLOYMENT IN A DEVELOPING

NATION LIKE BOTSWANA
-Lack of market to sell their products
-Lack of capital to establish businesses and buy machinery and goods
-Exposed to criminal activities since they can not afford to hire security
companies e.g. Thieves
-Lack of insurance and legal guard to protect the businesses against any mishaps
-Poor marketing and entrepreneurial skills to run and manage the business
-Competition with already established companies which sell quality goods at
cheaper prices
-Poor quality of goods produced

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 -Lack of premises/serviced land where business people can operate
-Natural calamities such as floods, drought, famine and diseases are major threat
to small enterprises especially in the agriculture sector
-Lack of commitment to business because do not devote most of their time to
managing their businesses resulting in the collapse of the business
-Establishment of similar businesses or duplication of businesses that lead to
serious competition and eventual collapse e.g. Car wash, Airtime for cell phones
-Cost of utilities such as water and electricity
-Lack of information on viable projects because of lack of research
-Lack of licenses/not registered hence the closure of such businesses by the
authorities
-High transport cost/lack of transport facilities due to poor roads
-Pull Him/Her Down Syndrome/jealousy/negative attitude towards each other

STRATEGIES OF JOB CREATION FOR THE YOUTH IN BOTSWANA

-Education and Training: Providing the youth with quality knowledge and
skills that are required in the job market
-Public Works and Programmes: Public funds being used in labour intensive
public projects to create jobs for the youth such as road construction, commercial
agriculture, dam construction, voter registration and elections etc.
-Subsidies and Credit facilities: The youth wishing to set up their own
businesses would be offered or provided with credit facilities (grants & loans) at
preferential interest rates e.g. Youth and Culture Department and CEDA
-Protectionism: introduction of quotas for some industries in order to encourage
more youth involvement in businesses for self-employment
-Talent Show: Youth get involvement in areas where they can show case their
potential by imitating their role models e.g. music industry, modeling and sports
-Infrastructure Development: Provision of serviced land for setting up of
industries by the youth
-Foreign Direct Investment: Government should attract foreign companies to
set up industries in Botswana that will create jobs for the youth
-Unemployment Benefits: Providing the unemployed youth with some grants for
survival
-Retirement incentives: Early exist retirement packages to employees can open
job opportunities for the youth
-Apprenticeship: Job attachment exposes the youth to hands on experiences
required for employment opportunities

HOW THE DISABLED SHOULD BE CATERED FOR IN BOTSWANA`S

EDUCATION SYSTEM
-Special Education: Training more teachers for special needs so as to deal with
different types of disabilities for the blind, deaf, dumb and mobility impairment
caused by illness, accidents or birth
-Infrastructure: Our buildings should have user-friendly structures to help
people with disability i.e. lifts, ramps for wheelchair users

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 -Curriculum: syllabus content should be user-friendly to people with disability.
E.g. practical education to the intellectually challenged
-Stigmatization: Removal of all negative discrimination barriers for the society to
change its attitudes in order to accommodate the disabled
-Special equipment: Provision of user-friendly equipment and furniture that will
suit their disability e.g. Brail for the blind
-Government Policy: Compulsory education for the disabled
-Affirmative action-Sectors should give preferential treatment to the disabled
when applying for studies at tertiary level
-Human Rights: Sensitized the parents on the rights of the disabled

STRATEGIES OF EMPOWERING THE YOUTH, DISABLED AND THE

DISADVANTAGED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY

a) The Youth
-Parental Care: Parents should play an important role in inculcating into
children desirable norms and values
-Education and Training: Compulsory and free education as well as training in
skills required in the market
-Sex Education: To avoid the ills of teenage pregnancy and HIV/Aids. Girls who
fall pregnant must allowed back into the education system. The must also be
strong legal sanctions on men fathering children with teenage girls
-Youth Centers: Should be created in different centers to provide counseling,
career guidance and employment information
-Community Service: Designing programmes for the youth that combine paid
work with education, training and service activities e.g. boot camps & Tirelo
Sechaba, Special constables.
-Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation: Crime by young people could be
prevented by providing them with sporting and recreational facilities, economic
activities as well as education and relevant training. Young offenders are sent to
reformatories for rehabilitation and reintegration into general society
-Constitutional Reforms: Youth Organizations like Botswana National Youth
Council (BNYC) must be consulted in the formation of youth policies

b) The Disadvantaged (Elderly)

-Wealth of Experience: Senior citizens posses a wealth of talent, knowledge and
experience that could be used in community projects
-Caring for Children: Grandparents help look after children who are orphaned,
abandoned, whose parents are ill or work full time
-Senior Corps: The elders may help the community as foster grandparents and in
voluntary work like retired nurses who assist in nursing homes, hospitals and
home based care

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c) The Disabled
-Promoting and protecting the rights of the disabled
-Sensitizing the general public about the needs and potential of people with
disabilities, this will help reduce discrimination and help integrate the disabled
into the general society
-Training family care givers, educators and other professionals with skills to
facilitate the development and rehabilitation of people with disabilities
-Offering them programmes of study and special training. People with disabilities
should be used as service providers since they are more likely to be sensitive to
the needs of their compatriots
-Buildings must be designed in such a way that they are accessible to people with
disabilities. They should have rumps for those using wheel chairs and have
facilities like furniture and equipment that accommodates the disabled.
-Exempting them from payment of medical and educational fees, providing them
with allowances, emotional support and housing subsidies
-Rehabilitation where the heavily handicapped people are provided with special
equipment such as artificial hands and legs and specialized chairs and transport
-Granting them credit with preferential interest rates in order to create jobs and
providing them with free technical assistance
-Encouraging the disabled to take part in sports, businesses and recreation
-Government must provide equal opportunities for employment in all sectors

HOW THE YOUTH, DISABLED AND DISADVANTAGED MEMBERS OF

THE COMMUNITY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BOTSWANA`S ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
-Formation of self-help community programmes to help themselves and others
-Giving them positions of responsibility in different sectors (Affirmative action)
-By payment of taxes for the development of the country
-Opening up business for themselves which will reduce heavy load of dependence
on the government
-Grandparents help by taking care of the orphans and disadvantaged
-They make use of natural resources sustainably for the benefit of the country

THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN PROMOTING HUMAN RESOURCE

DEVELOPMENT IN BOTSWANA (GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR,
NON-GOVRNMENTAL ORGANIZATION)

a) Government
-The government is building more institutions and also available ones to educate
and train more people
-The government makes 10 year basic education accessible to all Batswana
-Provides grants and loans for particular vocations or jobs e.g. Nurses, doctors,
engineers etc
-Offers scholarships and bursaries for further training to upgrade for productivity
-Training in line with the current job demands

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 -Outreach programmes have been developed for out school learners through
organizations like Non-Formal Education and Botswana College of Distance and
Open Learning (BOCODOL)
-Channeling resources towards institutions that promote citizen empowerment and
productivity e.g. CEDA, YES, BNPC etc.
-Workers in the public service are offered refresher courses, in-service workshops
and understudy programmes/job shadowing of senior staff for localization
-Recruitment of skilled manpower from outside to be understudied by locals
-The government provides health services to ensure good health in the country
-Increasing family planning education so that more Batswana are aware of the
advantages of small families
-It has medical aid programmes for its workers and it subsidizes medical costs,
this ensures accessibility of healthy services to all and promotes a healthy
workshop
-Government has programmes that promote productivity through work
performance reforms e.g. PBRS, WITS and PMS
-Advertises its country outside for foreign investors with special skills

Negatives
-limited sponsorship
-limited tertiary schools
-10 years basic education does not provide relevant work skills

b) The Private Sector

-It has established many kinder gardens, primary and secondary schools, but some
of these schools are very expensive for the poor
-They train people in trades needed in their operations.
-They provide on the job training, apprenticeship and scholarship for students to
study in training institutions both locally and internationally
-Many of them avail their premises to trainees on internship to get hands on
experiences
-Develop local systems to make them meet the international standards

c) Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO`s)

-Offers scholarships and sponsorships to people
-In service training to the workers
-Offers learning supporting systems as donations e.g. Computers and TV’s
-Offers incentives to enhance learning e.g. Essay, drama, debate and project
models with prizes involved
-Recruit skilled personnel to be understudied by locals
-Improve the standard of living of poor people e.g. Red Cross provides basic
needs to the disadvantaged
-Teachers play a key role as implementers of the education programmes
-YWCA runs schools that target workers and school drop outs and offers courses
like typing and tailoring

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-Work camps expose learners to hands on work that empowers them with
practical skills
-Some have established skills development centers in the villages to promote self
help projects