The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

A total of 14 Batswana were bid farewell during a celebration hosted by the Ambassador of Japan to Botswana, His Excellency, Hoshiyama Takashi at his official residence, as they prepare to leave for study and work in Japan.

The 14 Batswana were selected to go to Japan through the various initiatives availed by the Government of Japan to Botswana through training, work and scholarship programmes.

They will leave for Japan under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) Scholarship for research and teacher training, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) long term training, whilst two of them are the first Batswana participants of the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) programme selected by the Embassy of Japan and will work as a language teacher to teach English.

Welcoming the guests, Ambassador Hoshiyama stated that he was pleased as the send-off ceremony was a testimony of the strong evidence that Japan and Botswana have continued strengthening their ties through human resource development.

The Japanese envoy added that he is confident that the Batswana leaving for Japan would experience the unique culture of Japan, which has a rich history, and that they would find their experience most enjoyable.

The event was also graced by the former Ambassador of Botswana to Japan and Acting Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation, Ambassador Nkoloi Nkoloi, who during his tenure as Ambassador, worked tirelessly to materialize Botswana’s participation in the JET programme.

The Ambassador said it was a fitting tribute to celebrate the departure of the very first participants of the JET programme from Botswana with Ambassador Nkoloi together with Mr Ronald Phuthego, who is also an Alumni from a Japanese University and the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology.

Mr Nkoloi, whose tireless efforts have finally led to the materialization of the JET programme to Botswana, stated that he appreciated the generous support that Japan has over the years extended to Botswana’s development endeavours.

He highlighted that in recent years there has been growth in the scope and intensity of capacity building and technical assistance in areas such as education, health, energy and ICT, agriculture among others.

He congratulated the JET participants and encouraged them to work diligently since as the first group, their positive representation will open doors for Batswana in Japan.

For his part, Mr. Phuthego expressed his appreciation to the Government of Japan for supporting Batswana and giving them this great opportunity to study and work in Japan. He urged the beneficiaries to make the most if the opportunity presented to them whilst in Japan and to learn and experience as much as possible, as he did whilst he was studying there in 2009.

The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude towards Japan’s generosity and vowed to utilise the opportunities given to them.

JET PROGRAMME

The Japan Exchange and Teaching programme started in 1987 and seeks to enhance international exchange at a local level through fostering ties between Japan and foreign youth. The two Batswana will be teaching English at Akita prefecture and Akita city.

(MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP

The MEXT Scholarship programme supports foreign students who study in higher education institutions. Since 2006, a few Batswana research students have been selected to study at Japanese Universities through the recommendation of the Embassy of Japan. Since 2020 the MEXT Scholarship programme for teachers training was added on, where teachers are sent to Japan to learn about the Japanese educational system. There is also the University recommended MEXT scholarship, where the selection process is conducted by the respective universities.

(JICA long term training programme)

JICA offers various training programmes every year. Among those, there are two postgraduate programmes that were offered to Batswana this year, SDG Global Leaders Programme and Shigen no Kizuna Programme. The former was established in 2019 to foster young/middle public officers, academicians and leading human resources in various fields who will have an influence on the policymaking processes of their country or will contribute to socio-economic development in the near future, while the latter aims for human resource development and the strengthening of human networks in the mining sector for sustainable mining development