By:Tshegofatso Teseletso

The new Palapye Technical College (PATECO) Principal, Mr. Montlamedi Elijah accompanied by his deputy Mr. Oteng Tshimo recently paid a courtesy visit to the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) campus.

The sole intent of this  visitation was to introduce Mr. Elijah to the BIUST Vice Chancellor, Professor Otlogetswe Totolo. It was also for the two parties to explore the possibilities of forming a united front based on their mutual vision of seeing to the realisation of a knowledge-based economy in Botswana.

“Here at BIUST we believe in social relevance hence we strive to bring solutions to diverse societal problems by intentionally creating a practical and entrepreneurial learning environment for our students,” Prof Totolo said when welcoming the PATECO delegation.

The vice-chancellor stipulated that as an institution of industries BIUST acknowledges the relevance of working with other companies  and organisations as the phrase notes that ‘no man is an island’. He indicated that the colleges that are grounded in skills development such as Palapye Technical College played a pivotal role in the knowledge-based economy transformation and were the right partners for BIUST.

The Vice Chancellor concluded by expressing his desire to collaborate with Palapye Technical College for mutual beneficiation and improvement of Botswana.

In response, Mr. Elijah appreciated BIUST for the warm welcome. He highlighted that Palapye Technical College was inspired and encouraged by hands-on institutions such as BIUST, a university that continues to instigate impactful projects, notably, the drones for health initiative. “We are looking forward to learning and possibly uniting with BIUST for the advancement of our country,” he said.

Mr.Elijah further indicated that skill mismatch  was quite prevalent in Botswana. “There is a discrepancy between the skills that are sought by employers and the skills that are possessed by our graduates,” he said, noting that the world was forever evolving digitally and that there was a need to keep up to date with all the developments. 

Mr. Elijah applauded BIUST for the great things that they were doing in Palapye and across the globe.

For his part, the BIUST Deputy Vice Chancellor-Research Development & Innovation Prof. Abraham Atta Ogwu stated that the PATECO visit was paramount  in that it would  open doors between the two institutions as he believed it was the right step towards a fruitful alignment. The thrilled Prof. Ogwu implored the new Principal to utilise the accessibility of the university by uniting with BIUST and ensuring that their learners are trained with diverse latest machinery and world recognised skills-set found within the institution.