Monash South Africa forges relationships with African countries

August 2004

As part of a series of planned visits to African countries to forge relationships, cement existing relationships and stimulate awareness, Monash South Africa hosted a cocktail function on 11 August 2004, in Gabarone, Botswana.

Guests included Botswana Government Ministers, Her Excellency the South African High Commissioner to Botswana, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Botswana, Permanent Secretaries of Government Ministries and Chief Executives of both Government and Non-Government organisations.

At the function, at the Gabarone Sun, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mrs Festina Bakwena delivered an address (on behalf of the Botswana Minister of Education, Kgeledi Kgoroba), which was both positive and supportive in regard to Monash South Africa.

The government of Botswana recognises that education is an investment that will lead to a better quality of life and greater productivity for its citizens. Human resource development therefore is an important aspect of the country’s national development.

Bakwena stated that: “Our long term national vision calls for a greater emphasis on technical and business skills needed in the job market. In addition, it calls for the type of education that will produce entrepreneurs who will eventually create employment through the establishment of new enterprises.

“In order to meet the country’s human resources needs, the Ministry of Education operates the Grand Loan Scheme to finance tertiary education in areas of critical need. These include medicine and allied health sciences, various engineering disciplines including mining engineering and telecommunications, business and finance as well as information and communication technology.

“In Botswana, the demand for tertiary education has increased substantially over the past 20 years. This is largely due to the increase in population and the expansion of senior school secondary places. At present only about 10 percent of the roughly 18,000 students qualifying for admission into tertiary institutions, actually proceed to tertiary education.

“In addition to school leavers, we also have several staff from the wider public service wanting to upgrade their skills and knowledge within the context of our long-term goal to achieve lifelong education for every citizen. Notwithstanding all the investment by the Government and private sector in tertiary education development since independence, the shortage of places at tertiary education level - particularly in critical areas of human resources - continues to be very high.

“As a result, it is necessary for Botswana to seek study places abroad for courses that are not available in this country. A large proportion of secondary school graduates are currently placed outside Botswana at a very high cost to the Government. Currently some 6,000 students are studying in South Africa while others are in Australia, the UK the USA, and elsewhere. Most of these students are following undergraduate and graduate programmes that are not available locally. Government is therefore committed to expand tertiary education and training opportunities in Botswana thereby widening access at a sustainable cost.

“The University of Botswana and affiliated colleges and institutions continue to expand in an effort to widen access to tertiary education and training. The government has also decided to establish a second university as part of the National Development Plan covering the period 2003/04 – 2008/09.

“As we intensify our efforts to widen access to tertiary education and training, we continue to place our students abroad. In choosing institutions and programmes it is important identify those institutions that provide our students with the best possible exposure to international trends and practice - and yet are still sufficiently relevant to Botswana conditions. We therefore wish to collaborate with those institutions that make an effort to know us, and to learn something of local conditions in order to ensure that the education our students receive will be of real value when they return home.

“In this regard I am pleased to note that Monash is one of the international players with a presence in several countries around the world. It is our understanding that Monash South Africa has espoused the innovative philosophy of ‘ways of thinking and acting that are not constrained by national boundaries and traditions’.

“I believe that our local institutions will gain something from your presence and that you will also in turn gain something from us. As you are aware, we live in a world where the need for partnerships and networking is much greater than before. I call upon Monash South Africa to be a true and genuine partner and strive to assist build capacity not only in Botswana but in the SADC region as a whole.

“As we strive to translate the philosophy of the African Heads of States espoused through the New Economic Partnerships for African Development (NEPAD) and for the Southern Africa region through the Protocol on Education and Training, we need collective bargaining. This is critical in all areas of socio-economic and political development.

“Africa South of the Sahara faces many challenges including extreme poverty, civil strife or conflict and an HIV/AIDS pandemic. While nation states endeavour to provide social services to all, the economic downturn of the 21 st Century makes it difficult for sound and sustained planning. Education is key to sustainable economic and social development and in this regard I urge our institutions of higher learning to effectively diversify their programmes to respond to the development of lifelong learning skills required by global and competitive socio-economic markets.”

In conclusion Bakwena said: “The Ministry of Education is privileged to be associated with Monash University, and Monash South Africa - as a university that has made a strong commitment to the development of human resource in this region.”

In addressing on the question of why Monash seeks to be international, Professor John Anderson, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Monash South Africa said: “Put simply, we think it is good for Monash as an institution and we think it leads to better teaching and better research as well as more research opportunities.

“Universities are not judged in the same way as businesses – by income statements and balance sheets - they are judged by the quality of what they do and by their reputation. Operating internationally has allowed Monash to have increased interaction with great staff and great students.”

“If a university operates in a number of locations simultaneously - and therefore has the opportunity to look at emerging issues from the perspectives of many countries - it gets a more comprehensive and more intricate understanding of those issues and of what is going on in the world. This adds to knowledge, to the quality of education which can be provided and definitely to the quality of research which can be undertaken.

“Looking to the future, Monash South Africa will continue to focus on being a provider of high quality tertiary education. We are also keen to cooperate with the many fine local universities to share what we have and to learn where we can. We are interested in pursuing long-term relationships. If we learn together and grow together, we can build a future together. We certainly don’t pretend that we can solve the problems of Africa but we are keen to engage constructively and make a contribution where we can in advancing human rights and social justice.”

There are about 147 Botswana students currently studying at Monash South Africa pursuing Bachelors degrees in Business Systems, Business and Commerce, Computing, and Arts.