ISDC to accelerate poverty eradication
The government has accelerated efforts of creating employment and eradicating poverty through the Ipelegeng Skills Development Component (ISDC). Speaking at the launch of the Component in Mogobane this week, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mabuse Pule said that Ipelegeng has contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of this country. The ISDC programme has been piloted in the South East District, and Pule said as a result three families will have shelter. The pilot project has now been completed and will spread out to other districts. Pule urged districts to learn from the South East District as they have started on a good note. A total of 53 men and women will be certified in the six trades of bricklaying and plastering, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, painting and tiling. He said that the programme is beneficial not only to those who undergo training in it, but to the businesses that they source materials from and the ecosystems in which the ISDC programme is found.
Pule is confident that the ISDC will develop further beyond the construction industry and include other sectors such as agriculture, tourism and natural resource management.
One of the beneficiaries, Winnie Mpuru testified that they were trained by wellmannered professionals. She is now a plumber and already has a few jobs lined up.
Mpuru noted that the ISDC programme will bring change to Batswana’s lives.
Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Annah Mokgethi said that Ipelegeng has been part of Botswana since pre-independence. “The overall objective of Ipelegeng is to create short term employment and provide temporary relief to Batswana who have been adversely affected by the economic shocks, while at the same time delivering development projects,” Mokgethi said.
Mokgethi explained that in 2012 the government conducted a review of Ipelegeng to assess its impact, relevance, efficiency and effectiveness.
The review findings indicated that Ipelegeng should be redesigned to be result-based and arm participants with production skills, as well as survival skills Mokgethi explained.
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Ministry of Education and Skills Development, as well as Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs have collaborated to create the ISDC program. ISDC’s focus is on productivity, mindset change, entrepreneurial and life skills, as well as empowerment of participants to prepare them for sustainable employment opportunities in line with Reset and Reclaim Agenda priorities of mindset change and valuechain development.
Government commits to fight poverty through construction and maintenance of public facilities, as well as labourintensive public works across the country.