Did Maele need to visit four countries to transform vocational education?
Botswana will introduce a dual Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) pathway system, that allows students to choose between an academic route or a vocational one from an earlier age. The current pathway primarily caters to students who dropped out after Form 3 or Form 5.
“We need to lower the entry age and start earlier,” the Minister of Higher Education, Prince Maele, told a press conference on Wednesday to share key takeaways from recent benchmarking visits to Dubai, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Ghana.
“In the countries we visited, TVET starts at around 13 years old. In Botswana, it only starts after students fail Form 3 or Form 5,” he lamented.
They also found that Botswana’s current approach of 70 percent theory and 30 percent practical training is the reverse of what is practiced in leading TVET countries, where practical training comprises 70 percent.
“Students must spend more time learning by doing,” he added.
Maele said the ministry will involve industry players in developing curriculum content to ensure relevance. He said that Brigades will be clustered based on regional strengths; Maun Training Centre, for instance, will focus on tourism and hospitality, while Jwaneng will concentrate on mining.
Plans are also underway to retrain and retool trainers to ensure they are equipped with skills relevant to today’s world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
To improve the public perception of vocational education, the minister announced that Brigades will now be called Vocational Training Centres. “The word ‘Brigade’ is associated with failure. We are rebranding,” he said.
Maele confirmed that the student allowance announced in the budget speech will take effect in August; P1,500 for on campus students and P1,900 for off campus students. Applications have also surged since the announcement, but the Minister clarified that there will be no age restrictions for applicants.
To oversee and regulate the TVET sector, Maele announced the establishment of the TVET Authority, which will be responsible for accreditation, compliance, and ensuring quality delivery across all vocational institutions.
Maele expressed confidence that these reforms will reduce youth unemployment and help build a more skilled, entrepreneurial workforce.
“The future of Botswana’s economy depends on how well we prepare our youth for practical, in-demand careers,” he said. The benchmarking visits aimed to inform Botswana’s Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) transformation strategy.
Botswana Guardian was unable to determine at the time of writing the cost of the benchmarking trips to the taxpayer, especially as they happen when the economy is ailing. We could also not establish the number of people who accompanied the Minister on the four-country trip, as the Minister’s phone rang unanswered, nor did he respond to text messages left for him.
Maele told the press conference that the current state of Botswana’s Brigades is outdated, both in infrastructure and curriculum.
“The equipment is no longer functional, and our trainers are behind in terms of modern skills. There is also a serious mismatch between what training centres produce and what the industry needs,” he said.
The countries were selected for benchmarking due to their varying stages of TVET development. Germany, often referred to as the “father of TVET,” was studied for its well-established dual training system.
Romania was chosen for its recent embrace of TVET reforms, the UK for its ongoing partnership with Botswana, and Ghana for its successful adoption of the German TVET model.
Maele emphasised that one of the biggest lessons learned is the need for stronger collaboration between training institutions and industry. “The disconnect leads to a skills mismatch. The government must bring industry closer to institutions,” he stressed.