Oitshepile MmaB Modise

An insight into an African perspective on lifelong learning: towards promoting functional compensatory programmes

This paper argues that lifelong learning can be a torch for education that is relevant, appropriate and appreciated by many Africans if conceptualized within the African Indigenous Learning (AIL) framework. Such learning is entrenched deep in the practices, cultures and ways of knowing of many Africans. The fundamentals or the ideals of lifelong learning in AIL can be presented in three dimensions of time, space, and I/We. Woven together, these concepts present a context in which lifelong learning is defined by aspects such as learning‐in‐action (immediacy of application); interactive methods; and a time that is only valued in respect of events that constitute it. Generally, an understanding of lifelong learning from the western perspective hinges on the linearity, economics and individualism of learning and these concepts may not be well promoted within the framework of AIL. It is not difficult to imagine the impact of borrowed concepts of learning on Africans if applied uncritically. Africans cannot afford to be oblivious of the differences in contexts between them and the western world. Context, therefore, is central to the application of lifelong learning. The authors of this paper have a full understanding that people in different parts of Africa may view lifelong learning in different ways. Thus, the term ‘African’ is used to underscore the importance of context. The authors also note that the advantages of lifelong learning to Africa are obvious vis‐à‐vis learning as a human right and a social justice. While these ideals are helpful, Africans cannot be subservient to how lifelong learning comes packaged from the western perspectives. To illustrate some differences, some ideals of lifelong learning in the AIL are introduced through the case of an adult education compensatory programme, and a three dimensional model is proposed for applying these ideals.

Basic Extension Skills Training (BEST): A Responsive Approach to Integrated Extension for Rural Development in Botswana.

In a rapidly changing society like Botswana, the competition for employment, training and progression on the job has become very high. The development of skills is therefore a crucial and integral part of nation building, which needs a direct link to a training programme to continuously help staff to cope with the different needs they meet in the work place. The Government of Botswana has demonstrated strong commitment over the four decades since independence to upgrade the technical and management skills of extension workers and their ability to relate with residents in rural communities, and to understand the multitude of factors that determine their behaviour, attitudes and aspirations. In recognition of the link between training and rural development, several courses have been mounted by various Government sectors, non‐Governmental organizations and the private sector to close the knowledge gap of public staff, especially those who work in rural areas where the working conditions pose a unique set of challenges for extension work. The aim of this paper is to discuss the unique features of a staff training programme that has impacted positively on the training of extension workers in Botswana. The paper examines the evolution of the Basic Extension Skills Training (BEST) course in the context of integrated rural development and rural extension in Botswana. The authors explore the uniqueness of the BEST course in terms of its adherence to a number of teaching and learning principles, such as its learner centredness, and how it has impacted on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of course participants over a decade since it was first launched in 1997. The paper concludes with implications for delivery, improved performance, future training, institutional linkages, and assessment of training.

Career Workshops as a Non‐Traditional Research Model for Enhanced Relationships between Higher Education and the Labour Market

Discussions surrounding the mismatch between labour market needs and graduate competences are timeworn but to date nothing much has been achieved. Solutions such as tracer studies, conferences, attachments and internships have been tried and have not yet brought satisfactory results. This paper contributes yet another strategy, career workshops. Though not commonly used, this approach can add significant impact because it provides a free flow of information and highly interactive learning experiences and can establish synergy between labour market needs and the needs of higher education institutions. A well‐organized career workshop provides opportunity for discussions, displays and other interactions which are rich strategies for data collection. Unfortunately, these workshops are usually not regarded as a research approach, hence they are referred herein as a non‐traditional approach. However, a workshop exhibits most of the characteristics of empirical research: it has a topic, objectives and systematic steps to follow as well as clear procedures for arriving at lessons. The outcomes are beneficial and they include networking, giving feedback to program staff and promoting the public image of adult education. The implications for both the labour market and higher institutions of learning include: increased collaboration between the two; improved understanding of products; regular exchange of ideas and implementation of lessons learned. Effective use of career workshops as research strategies should be supported by clear philosophies, structures and resources.

Balancing the Local and the Global through Transnational Education

Literature is replete with globalisation and its continuing influence on paradigm shifts in education. One of the many areas of the impact of globalisation is the imperative of opening up learning beyond the national borders of higher institutions. While it is possible for higher institutions in the developed world to take giants steps in line with the rise of transnational education (TNE), the same cannot be said of institutions in the developing world.