MoESD to offer creative arts scholarships
Sharon Mathala | Wednesday December 4, 2013 16:10
Venson-Moitoi revealed this at the official launch of the Human Resource Development Committees (HRDC) - Creative Arts and Agricultural sectors.
She, however, did not say when the scholarships will be available.
She stressed the need for all sectors to come together and support one another saying the mining, minerals, energy and water resources and the tourism sectors have made strides in the development and implementation of their respective human resource plans and that the creative arts and agricultural sectors should learn from them.
“These are some of the changes that have to happen before my end of term in office in 2014,” said Venson-Moitoi.
She added that the youth should be increasingly involved in blue-collar jobs. She said that the spirit that foreigners deserve to do all the difficult jobs should come to an end.
“The youth should get their hands dirty to better drive the country’s economy. Agriculture has had the most potential to drive Botswana’s economy. The GDP of the country depends on agriculture after minerals, and that is a known fact,” she said.
She said that Parliament passed the HRDC and the Botswana Qualification Development Authority bills six months ago.
“I knew that the future of our education is shaping up and looking brighter than ever before,” she said.
HRDC’s mandate is to drive the implementation of the 2009 National Human Resource Development Strategy (NHRDS). It seeks to improve the quality, productivity and motivation of Batswana so that their capacities and capabilities are recognised as the most valuable resource.
“Creative industries, on the other hand, are increasingly gaining recognition as a sector with one of the highest potential to create jobs for the youth as well as to keep them occupied. Creative services, performing arts, cultural sites and new media, amongst others, have the potential to drive the economy and make Botswana a better place to live in,” she said.
She noted that creative arts play a critical role in supporting other sectors and marketing the country internationally through music, food items and arts, amongst others.