Continuous Education Critical to Societal, Personal Development and Job Satisfaction - Prof Norris
Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, has underscored the importance of continuous education if society was to adapt easily to the ever-changing environment.
Professor Norris was speaking at a two-day University of Botswana Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) retreat held at the UB Conference Centre on February 20-21, 2023 with the aim of examining and repositioning the centre within university’s transformation roadmap.
He said continuing education helped employees and employers to gain new skills and abilities through retraining and upskilling.
“Continuing education is way to ensure teams and individuals develop new skills to increase productivity, performance and job satisfaction as well as the organisation to thrive,” said Professor Norris.
He observed that change demanded or dictated that society to learnt new things through continuous education. Consequently, universities were currently strengthening continuous education and lifelong learning with support from information technology to offer online programmes, he added.
Professor David Norris said among the core function of a university was to promote social inclusion and active citizenship. As such, he noted that knowledge promoted social cohesion. The Vice Chancellor advised the CCE staff member to lead by example and strive for excellence as well as to engage and promote impactful research in society.
Meanwhile, Deputy Vice Chancellor Teaching and Learning, Professor Georges Ekosse, encouraged the CCE staff members to become impactful knowledge creators and disseminators.
On his part, Centre for Continuing Education Acting Director, Professor Olekae Thakadu also advised the staff members to use the retreat to examine CCE with the view to making it profitable, excellent, effective and efficient.
Meanwhile, Office of Research and Development, Acting Director, Rechard Tabulawa noted that UB restructuring process will give staff members mind set change as well as the courage to be intentional and conscious about it. He also advised staff members to introspect themselves to better serve the University and nation at large.
The retreat was organised based on five objectives comprising of exploring and determining the best model for CCE, to develop a structure to support the new CCE, identifying and to adapt efficient and effective systems to support the transformed CCE in to an entrepreneurial hub within UB and identifying operational strategies to support CCE in to a competitive entity in continuing education.