Martina Seetso, General Manager, Books Botswana (centre) at the UB Foundation scholarship award ceremony
Higher education promoter, John Smith International, and its local operation, Books Botswana, continue to promote higher education for Batswana through the provision of postgraduate scholarships for young Batswana.
“Postgraduate scholarship awards, designed to encourage learning and research are an obvious area where we can invest in the future development of human capital in Botswana. We have been fortunate enough to be able to provide at least one postgraduate scholarship at UB each year,” commented Books Botswana Managing Director, Mr. Andy Free.
Tshepang Tshube, currently studying at Michigan State University, received a postgraduate scholarship in August 2007, to support a Master’s Degree in Physical Education with a major in sports management, a two-year program at the University of Botswana. A rising star in his chosen discipline, December 2008 saw Tshepang train in the United States to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, courtesy of Books Botswana and the University of Botswana Sport and Recreation Department.
Said Tshepang, “My long-term goal is to work with the International Olympic Committee and other international federations to formulate sport programs that will support athletes. I intend to return to Botswana in July 2014. I will work with Botswana Athletic Association in talent identification and development. Through the Books Botswana scholarship, I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Physical Education. I will be graduating with a Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Exercise Science with a concentration in Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity, in May 2014 from Michigan State University (MSU). I will be the second Motswana with a Ph.D. concentration in Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity. I was also awarded the 2013 International Olympic Committee Postgraduate research grant to study retired athletes in Southern Africa. I certainly would not have been able to achieve this without the support of a Books Botswana scholarship.”
Since the launch of the scholarship programme with the establishment of Books Botswana in 2002, the higher education promoter has awarded up to 20 different academic and sporting scholarships to postgraduate students, both independently as well as through the UB Foundation. Books Botswana and the wider JS Group have noted an increasing commitment to improving outcomes in the Higher Education sector, ultimately working to enhance the student experience.
The most recent scholarship was awarded to a postgraduate student at the University of Botswana, currently studying for a degree in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Books Botswana has plans not only to continue the annual scholarship offering but to develop further the support systems currently in place for Higher Education wherever possible. The scholarship program covers a multitude of disciplines and the students are selected each year by a panel at the Foundation.
