BOCODOL promises Maun residents university

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
CORRESPONDENT

 

MAUN: Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL) state-of-art centre in Maun will offer degree and masters programmes though tele-education, once BOCODOL turns into a fully fledged university, BOCODOL board chairman, Abel Modungwa has said.

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Speaking during a cocktail party organised for community leaders in Maun, Modungwa said the programmes will be offered in partnership with reputable international universities.

He said the government has approved a suggestion by Maun residents that the centre be named 'Thamalakane Lifelong Learning Centre (TLLC).'

"We shall be bringing to this centre, education and training programmes of varying levels which hitherto could not be directly accessed by residents of the north-west," he noted.

"As part of bridging the educational divide in Botswana through distance education, BOCODOL built the state-of-art centre which is located in Disaneng in Maun. The centre will be turned into one of the campuses of the envisaged Open University," he said.

Modungwa said government's decision to turn BOCODOL into an open university will give impetus to the human capital development. He said the institution has adopted a four-year implementation strategy (2012-2016) to guide the transformation.

"Given the special and critical nature of the strategy, the board decided to come to Maun on a retreat away from our regular offices in Gaborone to critically examine and hopefully internalise the strategy as our transformation roadmap," he explained.

Modungwa buttressed BOCODOL's national mandate as well as its vision to be the 'institution of choice for flexible and lifelong learning."

He said the institution continues to adapt itself to meaningfully contribute towards the Vision 2016 targets.

Giving the vote of thanks, Kgosi Charles Letsholathebe encouraged the Maun community to take advantage of the programmes offered by BOCODOL to advance their education.

He said gone are the days when North West people were cut off from institutions of higher learning by geographic separateness from the rest of the country.  He, however, said residents can only benefit if they enroll in the institution in large numbers.

Mmegi online: 16/08/2012