The Department of Sport Sciences at the University of Botswana has just concluded training of 75 teachers from three senior secondary schools in the country on Life Skills for Academic Outcomes. The last training was in Goodhope after Nata and Shakawe. Moeti Junior Secondary School is also reported to have submitted a request for training.
Life Skills for Academic Outcome is a three-year programme funded by Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) to conduct life skills training to teachers in Goodhope, Nata and Shakawe Senior Secondary Schools. The project is a result of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding between UB and Botswana Telecommunication Foundation.
The Foundation has funded the project to the tune of more than P300 000 to cover project activities. The programme employs a “train the trainer model” to enable students access (through their teachers) to a programme of activities and mental skills that have been shown to enhance life satisfaction, self-worth, and happiness.
It teaches mental skills such as relaxation, goal setting, self-talk, and self-confidence. The project uses the Five C model of positive youth development that entails competence, confidence, connection, character and caring.
This suggests youth development requires healthy development in competence (positive view of one’s action in domain specific areas including social, academic, cognitive, and vocational), confidence (an internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy), connection (positive bonds with people and institutions), character (respect for societal and cultural rules), and caring (a sense of empathy for others).
The programme is based on self-determination theory with components specifically included to enhance the basic psychological needs of autonomy (e.g. through peer-led activities), relatedness (e.g. through team building), and competence (e.g. through success achieved in challenges, homework, and structured activities).
Speaking at the closing ceremony in Goodhope on July 10, 2020, the Deputy Head of Goodhope Senior Secondary School, Mr Apo Mphali, expressed delight that the programme was enriching and broad especially on self-management and leadership skills.
Mr Mphali said the programme has imbued them with skills to manage people with different attitudes and characters. Twenty-five members of staff were trained and Mr Mphali said they would make sure that what they learnt trickled down to the rest of staff and students “to build a better Goodhope Senior Secondary School”.
He appealed to UB and BTC to continue the partnership with Goodhope Senior Secondary School, noting that while the school excelled in sport, it was struggling academically. “We really need your support,” said Mr Mphale.
BTC Content Administrator, Mr Pono Hendricks, expressed hope that the training programme was their first step towards a sustainable partnership with Goodhope Senior Secondary School hence they were ready to offer assistance where possible. Mr Hendricks added that the programme was part of their invaluable contribution towards knowledge and skills transfer in the education sector.
UB Head of Department of Sports Science, Dr Comfort Mokgothu, said the training was part of the university’s mandate of research, stakeholder engagement and partnership with industry to solve societal problems. Dr Mokgothu said UB would do all it could to help schools produce world-class athletes.
He further encouraged Goodhope Senior Secondary School staff to utilize the UB High Performance Centre which he said had done a lot to prepare Botswana’s elite athletes such as Isaac Makwala. Meanwhile, Dr. Tshepang Tshube, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sport Science-Faculty of Education is the project coordinator. The project runs for three years beginning 2019. Participants were awarded certificates.