HRDC COLLABORATES WITH UNIVERSITY BOTSWANA TO HOST SASE CONFERENCE

The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) continues to coordinate, promote and supervise the implementation of the National Human Resource Development Strategy (NHRDS) through a process that engages and accommodate the input from different stakeholders.

HRDC in collaboration with the University of Botswana (UB) hosted the 44th Southern African Society for Education (SASE) Conference, held on the 4th – 6th October 2017, at Phakalane Golf Estate and Resort in Gaborone.

The Conference underlined the need for collaboration, networking and alignment to ensure competitive education amongst regional and international Higher Education Institutions. The networking sessions facilitated sharing of experiences, good practices, research findings, promising approaches and innovations towards improvement of higher education in the region. 

SASE Conference provided an international forum for debating issues that impact in the Southern African region and beyond. Held under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Implications for Education Policy and Practice”, the SASE Conference recognised the importance of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and the important role that education can play in achieving them. 

The participants of the SASE Conference were academics and/or scholars from different fields of education, including teachers, as well as senior students engaged in Masters and Doctoral Studies in higher education institutions. Botswana Education and Training Providers (ETPs) and Trainers can benefit from joining SASE through sharing and exchanging experiences, best practices and strategies for addressing SDG’s in higher education and overcoming barriers to regional harmonisation.

Giving the opening remarks, UB’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Kgomotso Moahi emphasised that the University intends to improve economic and social conditions of Botswana while advancing itself as a distinctive African University with a regional and international outlook.

“To drive towards this strategic intent, UB continues to collaborate with other strategic stakeholders to discuss ideas that can improve the quality of education in the Southern Region and Internationally. SASE Conference is one strategic platform that will contribute towards Botswana’s goal of transforming from a resource to a knowledge driven economy” said Professor Moahi.  

On the other hand, SASE President, Dr. E Cishe officially opening the Conference, informed the attendants about the origins of the society. Dr. Cishe highlighted that SASE was first established in 1977 through a collaboration between three (3) Universities from South Africa. Dr. Cishe noted that SASE has now attracted an increased number of Universities across Southern Africa region as members, hence a great potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the region through strategic partnerships and collaborations. “The 44th SASE Conference will therefore address a variety of issues in Education Sector, those including; Teacher Education; Curriculum Development; Education Policy Development; Educational Leadership and Management; Assessment and Evaluation in Education and many other crucial subject matters that could provide a breakthrough to achieving quality education for sustainable developments” said Dr. Cishe.

Giving the keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HRDC, Dr. Raphael Dingalo informed the Conference attendants that HRDC strives to coordinate efforts by all strategic stakeholders to develop an efficient human capital. Dr. Dingalo highlighted that according to the 2013 Global Competiveness, Botswana is ranking less in different economic enhancers including Higher Education and Training.

“In light of this, we are very proud to have collaborated with UB and other strategic partners to host the SASE Conference which strives to achieve the Southern African Region’s Sustainable Development Goals” said Dr. Dingalo.   The CEO, also noted that as part of its sustainable development initiatives, HRDC has partnered with Barefoot College in India to identify semi-literate women from disadvantaged communities in Botswana and trained them in solar electrification. He concluded by noting that HRDC will continue to partner with its strategic partners to achieve the Country’s goal of driving towards a demand driven economy.