24 Mar 2025

Parliament has adopted a motion calling on government to review the decision to disband Madirelo Training and Testing Centre (MTTC) as a national examining body for trades as it is currently disbanded and not fully performing its mandate. 

The Minister of Higher Education, and Tswapong North MP, Mr Prince Maele who was the custodian of vocational education and giving the position of government, opposed the motion. While the minister advocated for National Credit Qualification Framework (NCQF), other MPs were of the view that MTTC must be resuscitated as it has served without fail. Presenting the motion on Friday, Mogoditshane West MP, Mr Galenawabo Lekau said it was necessary to investigate the status of MTTC. 

He said since the establishment of MTTC, an entity accrediting and certifying vocational education, there have been numerous efforts to shut it down. Mr Lekau said efforts to render MTTC ineffective were started with the introduction of Botswana Technicians and Engineering Programme (BTEP), a programme, which over the years has proved ineffective. He said the second attempt to render MTTC ineffective was to transfer it to the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, followed by the third, which was the introduction of National Credit Qualification Framework (NCQF), which was also not effective in developing vocational education. 

MP Lekau said in 2017, a government Savingram was issued with reference to merge MTTC with Construction Industry Trust Fund (CITF) but also failed. He said the fifth attempt to disband MTTC was the current attempt where NCQF was used to dissolve MTTC and Brigades. Mr Lekau said CITF was a tool that was used by the previous government to campaign for election as its centres were established at constituencies and wards in the hands of the opposition. He said as a result, almost all the CITF centres such as Phitshane Molopo, Sojwe, Ncojane, Chadibe, Shakawe, Tsau, Senyawe, Nkange, Naledi were no longer operational, reasons cited being shortage of operational funding. Also, he said programmes that were designed to grow and empower vocational education must primarily focus on the development and future of the learners not in the interest of the leaders. 

Mr Lekau said the NCQF programme was producing graduates who will only be engaged as helpers, adding that it was now replacing trades that have been working for the country. He said in the past, vocational trainers would take three months in the classroom doing theory and nine months on the field while NCQF was more theoretical. Mr Lekau observed that brigades were being transformed to become theoretical, as apprenticeship was no longer offered. He said at a time when the apprenticeship programme was working, companies were in touch with MTTC and brigades, offering students attachments and eventually those performing offered employment opportunities. 

Mr Lekau said the current status of brigades as most of them were no longer operational was like a mission to face them off. He said there was a lot of disconnect between the industry and brigades and vocational institutions. Furthermore, he said he was in doubt that Botswana Examination Council (BEC) was in a position to undertake the mandate of the now defunct MTTC and perform vocational duties. 

Mr Lekau said people who were fully knowledgeable about its concept must lead vocational education. He said it was unfortunate to observe that brigades were offering courses that were yet to be accredited. MP Lekau said even though there was a report that MTTC has been closed since 2017, there was another report delivered in Parliament in November 2018, that there was no intention to close MTTC. Mr Lekau said it was unfortunate to observe that Brigades were slowly being suffocated and will eventually die a natural death. Responding to the motion and guiding Parliament, Minister Maele said he has agreed to disagree with the mover of the motion as he was of the view that the motion was redundant as MTTC was no longer in existence. 

Mr Maele said there has been a series of presidential directives that were terminating the life of MTTC. He said the assessment of examination and certification that was done by MTTC was now the mandate of BEC and it was by design that MTTC was no longer operational. Also, he said in 2017 through a presidential directive, it was agreed that MTTC should merge with CITF and were now called Rapid Skills Development Centre. 

He said the ministry was opposed to the motion because it was redundant and will be a waste of time and resources. Mr Maele said moving on with the motion will also mean amending of a number of acts as the function of MTTC was now with BEC. 

He said the world has now adopted NCQF and was now doing the assessments of trades and courses offered at brigades and vocational colleges. Mr Maele said two students who were trained in NCQF were now employed in Germany. He said there was no use sticking to legacy programmes such as National Craft Certificate (NCC) as currently a person with an NCC qualification cannot get a job in some parts of the world compared to one with NCQF, which was globally recognised. 

Palapye MP, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi said MTTC was established through a grant sponsorship from Germany with its highest qualification being NCC. Mr Ramogapi said by then, Botswana was using City and Guild and a tussle ensued, as they were two centres of power between City and Guilds and NCC, which was equivalent of a diploma qualification. He said the role of MTTC was to test vocational education and said NCC was the best and will still remain the best vocational skills qualification in the country. 

MP Ramogapi said a vocational school was at the level of universities; therefore would never be reviewed by BEC as it was mandated to oversee secondary and primary schools. He said overlooking MTTC has resulted in a tussle at many of government departments where many were resistant, where an NCC qualification was not viewed as an equivalent of a Diploma. 

Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, the MP of Maun West said even though in support of the motion, his main worry was that the executive of the ruling party was divided, therefore wondering what was to happen with the motion in case it was to be passed by the house. 

He said even though it was said that MTTC was disbanded in 2017, there was communication from the body as witnessed by a press release dated December 23, 2024 releasing MTTC examination results. Therefore, he wanted the current government to give its position on the current status of MTTC. Mr Hikuama said since the mandate of MTTC was transferred to BEC, the incorporation was not visible, therefore signalling a recipe for disaster. 

He said in the current form, it was not clear that BEC was doing anything to support vocational education. Mr Hikuama said the existing void must be attended to and said even though the current administration is still new, it was clear that the government was aware of what was happening with MTTC. “I wholly support the idea of creating a national testing centre for vocational training, whether adopted and continue at MTTC as long as it was a structure supporting the mandate of vocational education,” he said. ENDS