Symposium on Education for Development
  Gaborone, August 1983
 The role of education in developrent is an :irrp:>rtant issue facing the
 nations of independent Africa.          Investment in education is usually seen as
  a major solution to the problems of under-developnent.               But the optimism
 al:out education's effects which characterised            the early years of indepen-
 dence has begun to give way to a concern that the nature of education
  itself may J::ea source of problens.
 These trends can J::ediscerned within Botswana. The situation at
 Independence was roor - as President Khamasaid at the United Nations in
 1969: 'in contrast to ot.her British colonies, there had J::een practically
 no atta1pt to train Batswana to run their own rountry.                NOt one single
 secondary sclxol was corrpleted by the colonial governrrent .••• ' It was
 therefore inevitable      that a massive expansion of all sectors of education
 took place, and this was sustained througmut the 1970s by a high rate of
 economic growth.
 But after ten years of independence, questions al:out the direction of educa-
 monal develor:m=nt J::eganto J::eraised and a National Education Conmission
 was established     to identify    the major problens and make reccmnendations.
The Conmission's report, published in 1977, noted that there was a 'gr0w-
 ing sense of dissatisfaction        and frustration'     resulting from whether the
quantitative     expansion had J::een matched by qualitative         standards.     It made
recannendations for the future that firmly related education to national
developnent, to the 'kind of society Batswana want to create.'                  However it
also pointed out that education cannot of itself change SOCiety and that
 'educational reform must J::epart of broader social and econanic reform.                I
The basic problem of row to inprove education as part of the process of
wilding a J::etter society remains.
The Botswana SOciety has decided that the tirre is ripe for another review
of education as questions are still           J::eingput insistently     al:out all part of
the sys tan , formal and non-formal.          Problems such as the quality of primary
sCh::>oling, the future of the brigades, and the srortage of secondary sch:x>l
places are of great public concern. The SOciety is therefore organising
a SyrrpoSilUU  on 'Education for Developnent' to J::eheld in Gal:orone in
August 1983. The SyrrpoSilUU        will bring together educationists,         planners,
administrators,     researchers and p:)liticians       to present papers which will
later J::epublished in l:ook form. The SOciety has previously held similar
syrrposia on major issues of ru;tional developnent, such as drought and set-
tlerent,    and feels that they have had a significant           inpact on governrrent
policy.
The SyrrpoSilUU   will address the major issues of education and developnent in
Botswana today, rot will also have papers of cnrparative interest fran
Kenya, Z~           and Tanzania.      It will open with an analysis of the concept
of develq:rrent in the Botswana context and with historical               overviews of the
education-developnent       relationship    J::efore and after Independence. Sul::se-
qulilnt lnajor theres will be the relationship         of edocation to social justice,
rural developnent, cultural identity,           and errployrrent. The final day will
look forward to the problems and prospects of the rest of the 1980s.
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'!he Botswana Society b:>pes that the synpositml will provide an open fororn
for a full and frank discussion of all asepcts of education and its role
in national develqment.      It therefore invites all interested    people to
attend and join in the discussion.      Contr:ibJ.tions from the floor will be
welcane and will be included in the published p~gs.
'!he Botswana Society ropes that the Synpositmlwill have a beneficial
inpact on the policy-naking process in Botswana.        It also ropes that the
published proceedings will provide a useful case-study on education and
develOfllSlt in Afr ica. '!he full progralTlTewill be available in May and
further infornation is available from the organising secretaries:
Kgoootso ~       and Frank Youngman
Institute   of Adult Education
Universit.y of Botswana
PjBag 0022
GABORCNE
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