From a boiling pot to a frying pan

Bernard Bolele lost out in politics and gained the top seat on the board of trouble-ridden institution, BIUST. Bolele was ousted even before it all began - during re-runs of the primary stages of the 24 October 2014 general elections. Says the former MP of the ruling party: “There is no leadership training better than the one you get in politics.”

He points out similarities between the political and the corporate worlds as a focus on national imperatives, appreciation of scarce resources and team work. He observes that in both worlds, you need to constantly engage all stakeholders and lobby for change. He emphasizes that lobbying is a positive art which must be practised ‘aggressively’. “From political experience, you learn that all positions contest for meagre resources and all positions need constant re-focus. There must be an open and transparent environment to reduce conflict,” he says.

This is not the first board he has served on. He lists his professional corporate credentials, which include serving on boards of various entities, as necessary for leadership at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). Bolele, who has practised law for the past 20 years, adds: “This university is a modern corporate entity with modern governance values. Governance is the lubricant that keeps all parts working harmoniously.”

The new Chair has no illusions about the reality he will face. He is aware of the frontal fires and the teething problems that have plagued BIUST that he agrees have tainted “a worthy project” that is long overdue. “When I got there, BIUST was closed. There were no students. I had also read in the newspapers that there were problems at the university. The good thing is that I found a depth of leadership. Determined and enthusiastic staff and students who cooperate amazingly.

Since the beginning the university, as a project, has been overshadowed by major hurdles that caused years of delay. These ranged from leadership wrangles, removals and resignations, to poor project management and financial constraints. Although the main campus is based in Palapye, BIUST received its first intake of students at Odi College of Applied Arts and Technology in August 2012. “The project has reached maturity but a significant amount of time has been lost as laboratories are still being built in Palapye. Things would have gone much faster if there had been no leadership hiccups,” adds the new Chair.

Bolele would like us to be cognisant of the fact that when leaders change, the core culture of the institution also changes. He couples this with the global economic slow-down of 2008-2010 which he says affected the gradualization of the project development phase. “Botswana’s economy has begun to improve. Hopefully there will be adequate allocation of resources,” he says.
The school is now open again after major interruptions affecting the learning schedule. According to Bolele, there are over 1500 students, including those on Master’s programmes. Also in place is a BIUST fellowship programme for sending students abroad for PHD programmes to provide “future leadership and academic staff”, Bolele says. “Our first intake is in its third year. We are looking forward to the graduates.”

BIUST was set up with the intention to create a centre of academic excellence with an international outlook. Members of its council are said to have benchmarked the institution with similar establishments in countries such as Israel, Canada and China. In terms of Botswana’s Tertiary Education Policy, BIUST was pointed towards the segments of science, technology and international research.

These specific areas make up the three colleges that the university has and seeks students for. In comparison to the University of Botswana (UB) which offers a wide range of study areas, BIUST has Research as its core component. “The research we will focus on will be peculiar to Botswana, and we will expand on these peculiarities,” says the Chair. “A mining-led economy in an arid semi-desert.” This is how Bolele sees Botswana. Hence research will be done in areas such as extraction of minerals, beneficiation of minerals and ecological challenges. In this respect, BIUST is tasked with identifying local problems and finding local solutions. “BIUST is supposed to guide us in these areas, including the rehabilitation exercises or restoration of the land to its original form after extractions have been made,” he says.

Water is another major challenge the country faces. “We need water. For many things. Scientific research needs to be done. Research peculiar to Botswana. To research on water, you need money. We wish government would accept that research is expensive.” Bolele says there are countries that survive on research to drive and diversify their economies. For instances, South Africa has a national research fund which encourages people to come up with brilliant research papers and compete for the funds. “This gives an opportunity for nations to come up with solutions to their own problems. The Botswana research fund must start now, not in future. Maybe P10 million for a start. Private companies can also fund this as certain research areas may be of interest to them.”

From the 1500 plus students enrolled, the school’s accommodation is not meeting this requirement. Accommodation currently covers 250 students while a 400 bed capacity was also quickly developed. The Chair explains that they have procured accommodation at Serowe’s old Sekgoma Memorial Hospital and Institute of Health Sciences. They are in the process of buying BHC houses in both Serowe and Palapye. “We will never have 100% accommodation capacity. Even the staff of the university is struggling for accommodation,” he says.

In palapye, public transport is not as good as it is in Gaborone. “This gives Batswana an opportunity to invest and simultaneously solve the problem. We expect Batswana to rise to the challenge. I am already aware that various companies and individuals have dropped off proposals enquiring about such Public Private Partnerships (PPP),” Bolele says. Apart from hospitality and transport, he says entertainment, procurement and supply, especially with regard to facilitation of equipment, are other areas where Batswana can get opportunities for PPP’s. Bolele is confident about the direction the university is taking, saying a university is not built overnight.

“It takes a thousand years. There are universities that have been in a development mode for over 20 years. It is not just a question of the buildings. systems, policies and procedures take time to develop and to incorporate into own cultures,” he explains. The current leadership of BIUST includes former President Festus Mogae as Chancellor. The University was conceptualized during his tenure in office.

The council has engaged, on a consultancy basis, Bojosi Otlhogile, the former Vice Chancellor of UB, who is also a professor of law. “(Otlhogile’s brief is) to re-look at the statutes and governance procedures which will be coming to the council for determination before the end of April 2015.” “Previous leaders had developed a lot of papers which were at various stage of adoption, but there is a concerted drive to develop a policy platform across all areas of the university.”

Bolele is certain that he will make significant progress during his three-year tenure. “If money is not the problem, then I have a leading council with outstanding persons with specialities in different areas to lead them in guiding the university.”