NEW ERA COLLEGE CAPS 526 GRADUATES
New Era College of Arts, Science and Technology has capped 526 graduates from the 2022 convocation ceremony held under the theme, ‘Women, Building Opportunities for the Future in Engineering: Creativity & Innovation’.
The event held at Boipuso Hall at Fairgrounds on Tuesday (November 15, 2022) was rather a special occasion as four (4) cohorts from the Classes of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 were all capped on the day.
The outbreak of Covid-19 in late 2019 had forced the postponement of graduation ceremonies from 2019 to 2021. Speaking at the jubilant occasion, the Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Hon. Thulagano Merafe Segokgo gave a ‘hero’ status to the graduates as he said they had shown some determination despite having to complete their studies under the worst times in recent years.
He implored the graduates to also seek to use the skills learned in the institution to create jobs as that way will help the country’s economy. “It is a fact that the Covid-19 pandemic disturbed most and disrupted how we do business in our daily basis. Surely, the reason we are graduating four (4) cohorts today is due to the pandemic.
Today you are here as testimony that indeed ‘Education is for Life’. Whilst we have been impacted heavily by the pandemic, I believe that with credentials bestowed on all of you today, you are going to do tremendous things in the industry here, locally and some of you internationally”.
“I have a firm belief that you are going to support the government in realizing pillar one of the vision 2036 which speaks to sustainable economic development. You may wonder how this could be achieved through yourselves.
As graduates, the government needs you to establish startups in the areas that you are qualified in so that you create employment for others. We expect you to take part in meaningful research, which will change the landscape of our country’s economy. We expect you to compete internationally and fly Botswana’s flag high by setting up multinational companies,” Hon. Segokgo said.
The New Era College Chief Executive Officer and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research, Professor Amos Thapisa said due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the institution changed the landscape of their business model and teaching aids as well as events such as graduation ceremonies.
Prof. Thapisa said New Era College withheld the graduation ceremonies during the period to allow the graduates an opportunity to celebrate with their loved ones. “This is truly a special occasion as we are here to recognize and celebrate achievements of not one but four cohorts of graduates. This ceremony was long overdue and reasons for that are embedded in our struggle with Covid-19. The Covid-19 pandemic had brought the full world to a standstill and we had not been an exception. We have had to fight, adapt, and be made strong.
“We had to rethink not only our graduation strategy but also our entire business strategy. We rapidly made unplanned changes to overwhelming teaching in terms of adapting and adopting online forms. It would not come as a surprise to you that our class of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 made it absolutely clear to us throughout the pandemic that they would not allow their celebration be stolen by the pandemic,” Thapisa said.
The four cohorts of the New Era graduating classes were conferred with Degrees, Advanced Diplomas, Diplomas and Certificates in Engineering in Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronics, Construction Industry, Accommodation Operations and Services.
The learning institution ironically prides itself as the ‘Home of Engineering’ and the Hon. Segokgo believes the institution is a game changer in the labour market. Speaking this week at the New Era College convocation ceremony, Hon. Segokgo acknowledged that the institution is diversifying its education offering with learning programmes for other sectors of the economy.
He however encouraged the institution that, its primary focus should be in Arts, Science and Technology. He said through this, New Era College would be helping in closing the gaps in the labour market. “I am delighted to note that New Era College has since diversified its offerings and started its first installments of Degrees in Commerce, Forensic Science and inclusive education.
While this is a welcome milestone I wish to urge you not to deviate from the initial mandate and vision. As a country we have a shortage of skills especially with those of technologists, technicians and many others in such technical and vocational training. These skills are important to the labour market, as these are the people who drive the economy through their crafts,” Hon. Segokgo said.
The Minister also said that at the past National Science Week in Masunga, New Era College students worked on smart projects powered by latest technology. Hon. Segokgo said these should be introduced in lower institution levels to instill the engineering education mindset in students in the lower years.
He said the Ministry will continue to partner with New Era College in search of the next generation of innovators and that the New Era College third annual National STEM Hackathon will be included in the Ministry’s National Month of Science plan for 2023.
New Era College hosted its second annual Hackathon under the theme ‘The Tech Era’ held in August 2022. The Hackathon is a platform for young student innovators to come together and collaborate on producing technological solutions to pressing modern challenges.
The top best students from this year’s edition of the Hackathon qualifying rounds represented Botswana at the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad at Morocco in July 2022. The top 52 students that participated in the 2022 Hackathon were taught the principles of electronics, programming and robotics through the use of STEM kits provided by New Era College.
In July, New Era College also hosted its second annual Women in Engineering: Round Table Talk. The occasion was held under the theme ‘Inventors and Innovators #ImagineTheFuture: The Social and Economic Impact of Women in Engineering.
The Round Table Talk is an initiative established by the College to commemorate international Women in Engineering day, which is the June 23rd of every year. The objective of the Round Table Talk is to provide a platform that produces discourse and brings awareness to the barriers and challenges women in the engineering sector, as well as to inspire young girls to partake in various
STEM fields.