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Botswana: Permanent Secretary Elizabeth Bonolo Khumotaka officially launched the Girls Excelling in Mathematics and Science (GEMS) mentorship seminar. The seminar is being hosted by Botswana University of Science and Technology (BIUST).
The GEMS mentorship seminar is also being supported by the Botswana Insurance Holding Limited (BIHL) Trust. The event will be hosted for the next week. The event will host several female participants from all over the nation.
The girls will come from several schools and educational institutions across the nation, including:
- Shakawe
- Ghanzi
- Maun Senior Secondary Schools
- Matsha College
- Tsabong Unified Secondary School
- Mahupu Unified Secondary School.
The officials have shared that the participants of the mentorship programme who have been selected on merit. The participants have a high ability in Mathematics and Science.
The GEMS mentorship programme aims to discuss issues of equity and representation of females in careers in STEM. They want to find the solution to some of the issues, which the administration has received several reports of.
The officials have shared that they believe that issues affecting girls’ ability to be attracted and retained in careers in STEM exist and need to be handled.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Skills Development Elizabeth Khumotaka delivered a keynote address at the opening of the seminar. She highlighted that research indicates that there are few women globally in STEM focused careers.
As such, there is need to actively and rigorously increase the numbers. She therefore mentioned that organisations such as BIHL play an integral part in elevating the participation of females in STEM careers.
This is a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility for the people of the nation. She further said that the Ministry has adopted an outcome-based approach to education in the country. She added that the Ministry should seek more partnerships with stakeholders to improve the country’s educational system.
Permanent Secretary Khumotaka encouraged the mentees to work harder to reach their aspirations. She also reminded them that the country’s vision for 2036 is tailored mainly to the youth as the future decision-makers and drivers of the country.
Further, she thanked teachers for their resilience and commitment to unleashing and unearthing students’ potential despite their day-to-day anomalies.