NEW ERA’S LATEST STEM STEP
New Era College participated in the recently ended National Science Week and STEM Festival 2021, hosted virtually under the theme ‘Fuelling Socio Economic Transformation through STEM Awareness and Innovation’.
The College, being the only private institution of higher learning participating at this year’s festivities, showcased the combined prowess of their students and staff in creating a technological solution for everyday use by both commercial and noncommercial farmers, a Smart Water Supply System.
The system allows farmers to automate the process of supplying water for their farming processes, especially for irrigation and livestock consumption, from anywhere in the world using GSM communications technology.
The innovation is inspired by the recent disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced governments to implement hard lockdowns and strict movement control orders. During this time, numerous farmers were unable to fully take care of their farm management including feeding of livestock and irrigation of ploughed areas, resulting in poor yield in the year 2020/21 and famine in most parts of Botswana and the world at large.
Speaking at the commencement of the STEM Festival, Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Hon. Douglas Letsholathebe remarked, “The use of technologies at the work place and in our daily lives has grown exponentially, our communities cannot therefore be left behind. I therefore, challenge you, as educators and researchers, to continue to mentor, guide, and teach our communities and prepare them for the technologydriven economy of the future.”
Meanwhile, a representative from the Marketing and Communications Department at the college noted, “As an institution of higher learning, we are committed to being a renowned centre of excellence in Stem-based education and continue to equip young learners with 21st century skills in coding, robotics and creative solution-based thinking. With the aim of growing our profile in STEM Education, the college will be participating at the 1st Annual All Africa STEM awareness Conference billed for the 23rd and 24th of September in Lusaka, Zambia.”
New Era College offers young Batswana the opportunity to study towards a career in STEM through their accredited Engineering programs which produce Engineers recognised by the Engineers Registration Board (ERB) upon graduation. The College offers Bachelors in Engineering majoring in Telecommunications as well as Electrical and Electronics.