Botswana

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Botswana is a nation in Southern Africa with a population of more than 2.6 million people (World Bank, 2022).

COL’s work in Botswana is primarily focussed in the areas of higher education, open schooling, lifelong learning for farmers, and gender equality and women’s empowerment through skills development. As a small state, it is part of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network and COL’s regional centre, the Southern African Development Community – Centre for Distance Education (SADC-CDE) hosted at Botswana Open University (BOU). Learners from Botswana are also benefitting from COL’s free online courses and other openly available resources.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
12.9%		13.7%
Female (2020)		Male (2020)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending 2016¹
89.9%		89.6%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending 2021¹
30.4%		19.2%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

An Open Schooling Portal was launched to improve access of different learners to quality education.
11,140 nurses/midwives in Botswana successfully completed one or more professional development courses.
The Assistant Minister, Ministry of Education and Skills Development attended PCF10 in Calgary, Canada (14 to 16 September 2022), including the Ministerial Roundtable.
COL’s Eleventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF11) to be held in Botswana in September 2025.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Botswana include:

Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MESD)
Botswana Open University (BOU)
Human Resource Development Council (HRD-C)
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana
National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI)

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Dr Mmabaledi Seeletso
Director
Southern African Development Community – Centre for Distance Education (SADC-CDE)
Botswana Open University

Literacy rate (2013)¹
87.5%		86.1%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2022)¹
64.9%		72.7%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2019)¹
11.1%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
65.5		58.9
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

74	160
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

7.8	94
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Botswana

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Notable Mention

More Information

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Reports

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