Botswana benefits from India’s training programme
ITEC Day Reception tomorrow at India House
Botswana is one of the main beneficiaries of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, (ITEC), the leading capacity building platform of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
India’s High Commissioner to Botswana H.E Bharath Kumar Kuthati will this Thursday host an ITEC Day reception at India House in Gaborone to celebrate the bilateral cooperation between India and Botswana.
The occasion also provides opportunity for ITEC alumni to refresh their memories of their stay in India and share their experiences.
From 2007 to 2008 close to 1100 people attended the ITEC civilian courses, in addition to a number of beneficiaries of defence training courses.
And since the courses are conducted in many disciplines, personnel from almost all organs of Botswana government have availed these courses and have put the skills and capabilities acquired during such training to contribute to their respective organisations in a positive manner and thus help in the overall government functioning.
Instituted in 1964, ITEC is one of the oldest institutionalised arrangements for international capacity building having trained more than 200,000 officials from over 160 countries in both the civilian and the defence sector.
Building on India’s vast and rich network of governance and development-related expertise available in higher educational institutions and training facilities, ITEC offers nearly 10,000 fully-funded in-person training opportunities through nearly 400 courses offered at more than 100 eminent institutes in India each year.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic disruptions, the ITEC programme continued with India’s commitment to share its development experience with the world, providing online healthcare and governance related training to nearly 10,000 professionals through digital platforms.
A spokesperson of the Indian High Commission, Rajeev Seth, said apart from regular training programmes which keep running at various institutes throughout the year, India also responds to country-specific requests for training in specific areas of governance by organising customised training programmes which are designed and conducted by the leading institutions in India.
He explained that ITEC civil training courses carry no cost to
the trainee or to the trainee’s country. All the cost (international airfare, visa, boarding & lodging, travel within India, book expenses etc.) related to ITEC civilian training courses are fully borne by the Government of India.
For defence courses also except international travel all the costs are met by the Government of India. While the main purpose of the ITEC Programme is to share India’s expertise and skills with fellow developing countries, the trainees during their visit to India also get exposure to Indian culture and traditions during internal travel and sight-seeing which are also part of the programme. In that way, the Programme also helps in people to people contacts.
It is also an opportunity for local Government dignitaries and officials to interact with the ITEC alumni and the High Commission officials for exchange of ideas.