- Can you briefly describe yourself and the work that you are doing, particularly in the area of education?
My name is Kefilwe Rasedie, a native of Botswana, currently residing in Canada. I’m very passionate about education. I strongly agree with Nelson Mandela that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” I have taught and trained in various countries including; Canada, Hong Kong, Mongolia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Botswana. I specialize in Business modules; Strategic Management, Financial Management, Risk Management, Accounting and Corporate Law. I am very passionate about financial education and I strongly believe that in our dispensation, financial literacy and digital literacy matters more than just the ability to read and write.
I’m the founder of Kefz Education Consultancy, a registered company in Canada. I’m a qualified agent through ICEF and I’m currently recruiting students from Africa and Asia to study in Canada. As a product of the Canadian education system, I’m convinced that Canada offers quality education that leads to incredible career opportunities. I’m also the founder of Motlobo Online Homeschool; a platform that connects children from low-income families in Africa with the best teachers across the globe. The idea of launching Motlobo Online Homeschool in 2020 during COVID-19 was inspired by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) that strives for inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes life-long learning opportunities for all. Providing an online platform that promotes learning beyond conventional classrooms ensures that no child is left behind. I strongly believe that the notion of inclusive quality education is only possible through IT integration. We must all strive to provide perfect digital tools and qualified teachers who can easily be connected with students and parents to offer the quality education that we all crave for.
- STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are transforming Africa. How can education equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in this new landscape?
I observed that focus on STEM is not only bringing tremendous transformation in Africa. In Asia, Europe and North America, everyone is just obsessed with an incredible appetite for STEM because we live in a tech driven world. These days we talk about artificial intelligence; leveraging technology to complete complex tasks efficiently. I’m glad that African countries are gradually making progress in embracing STEM as critical components of their curriculum.
I often hear about fascinating programs such as Smart Labs for young girls, Coding and Robotics in primary and secondary schools in Africa. That’s impressive! It shows that we are intentional about preparing our children to compete globally. We know that there are limited job opportunities in Africa, so giving our children an opportunity to learn and acquire STEM skills will open remarkable doors for them in other countries, especially in Europe and North America. Countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand in particular, have a strict criteria for immigration targets. They prefer professionals with STEM qualifications, that’s why IT guys and engineers get their Permanent Resident (PR) status easily in these countries.
- Many African communities face challenges like poverty and limited resources. What opportunities do you think are available for funding and how can they leverage?
Funding opportunities are very scarce, especially post COVID-19, we have seen a sharp decline in scholarships and sponsorships from both public and private institutions. However, we still have some generous giants like the British Council and DAAD (German Scholarship for African students) that are still supporting African students with scholarships. I have observed that it is not easy for African students to qualify for scholarships while they are in their home countries, but once they take a leap of faith and enroll for STEM programs abroad, they stand a better chance of getting a decent scholarship to pursue their academic dreams.
These days most governments and private companies don’t give students scholarships directly, they rather give the scholarship awards to universities and colleges, who then decide how to allocate such funds. So, the colleges and universities often give students who are already enrolled in their programs first priority. I must also mention that these days it’s extremely competitive, a student must have a colorful transcript to qualify for the scholarship and they must demonstrate their ability beyond academics. It takes a lot of research and sometimes networking with privileged people to have access to sponsorships. Volunteering in NGOs can help students to connect with potential funders.
- What are some success stories that motivate you and inspire your work in education advocacy?
I’m immensely inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa. As Nelson Mandela posits, “our children in Africa are smart, they just need an opportunity and a perfect platform to unleash their potential.” Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy’s impressive results over the years confirms this narrative. Even last year OWLAG achieved a 100% Pass in grade 12 exams and a 100% Bachelor’s Degree Pass rate. OWLAG provides a nurturing educational environment for academically gifted girls who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They equip the girls with intellectual and social skills to assume leadership positions in South Africa and abroad.
I am also inspired by Soroptimist International- Live Your Dream Program. It is an education and training program for girls and women and its main objective is to provide grants to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education. It covers tuition, books, child care, transport and other expenses that will help women reach their academic goals. Many women from disadvantaged backgrounds across the world have benefited tremendously from SI’s Live Your Dream program. Some of these women were GBV victims, human trafficking or early child marriage and now they reclaimed their dreams, some are successful business women and others are directors in big companies.
- Can you briefly tell us about your organization kefz education consultancy? What services and opportunities do you offer?
Kefz Education Consultancy is registered in Canada and our mission is to promote access to quality education by helping students from Africa and Asia to study at top-tier universities across North America. Currently we are working with Passage, a Canadian company that provides partial funding to international students to study in Canada. Our Vision is to transform the lives of young Africans through practical & quality education abroad, that’s why we have aligned ourselves with Passage to give deserving smart students in Africa an opportunity to study in Canada.
The beauty of Passage opportunity is the fact that it perfectly aligns with the Canadian aspirations of equipping students with priority skills identified by the Federal government. Currently, the Canadian government is targeting students or young professionals who are ready to replace the majority of retiring boomers in STEM, Trades and Healthcare. As mentioned earlier, we have smart students in Africa but our biggest challenge is creating job opportunities for them so that they can find meaningful jobs after graduation.
It is heartbreaking or rather depressing to see a brilliant and talented young African idling in the streets of Johannesburg or a young engineer selling hot dogs in the streets of Harare because he has to do something to survive. We have depressing youth unemployment rates in Africa, so while others see this as an intractable problem, we chose to be part of the solution to this problem by providing deserving students with an opportunity to study and work in Canada.
- Looking at Africa right now, what is the one thing that you think we can do to accelerate development?
I always say that African problems are complex, we can’t snap our fingers and point at one thing that will transform lives in Africa. In my opinion, I think we need five (5) critical ingredients to accelerate developments in Africa:
- Functional Systems- The west is thriving because they mastered the science and the art of building sustainable systems. In both public and private institutions we don’t seem to have functional systems with well defined structures. We are constantly in a trial and error mode and such inconsistencies and uncertainties have been such a big turn off to potential strategic partners abroad. We want to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), then we must be intentional and set up functional systems.
2. Growth Mindset- Carol Dweck posits that one cannot evolve and reach their ultimate potential without embracing the growth mindset. As Africans, we don’t seem to believe in our capabilities, we don’t seem to realize that we are blessed with natural resources and brilliant human capital. If we can fully embrace the idea that we “have all it takes to transform Africa”…we can do wonders in our continent. We must first change the way we value ourselves as Africans, how we perceive each other as Africans, how we use our resources and how we engage our people. Given opportunities and conducive platforms, so many Africans in the continent and in the diaspora can be resourceful and turn our continent into paradise. For example, we have Zimbabweans and Nigerians who are leading big companies and some are vice chancellors of prestigious universities in Europe and North America
3. Quality Leadership- We must draw a clear line between leadership and holding prestigious positions in Africa. It’s time we embrace the notion of servant leadership or impact leadership or transformational leadership. Most of us in Africa, we are simply obsessed with positions, such as attaining the position of CEO or CFO that comes with all the luxurious perks without really bringing in the aspired virtues, passion and ambition to improve things both in the public and private institutions across Africa.
We still don’t appoint people on merit, Africans who are qualified and deserving, we tend to sabotage the smart ones among us and rather choose our relatives for higher positions. So much nepotism in Africa is dragging our continent into the mud. We must include leadership modules in our basic education so that our children embrace a different perspective of leadership. We must be intentional and teach our children that leadership is not power…leadership is a divine opportunity to serve humanity!
4. Collaboration- We tend to work in silos and in the process we duplicate our efforts and resources thus achieving very little for our continent. I wish we could pick a leaf from the Asians, especially, the Indians and Chinese who are doing tremendously well in our continent because they work together, jointly collaborate on big projects such as construction of road networks, railway lines, bridges, schools etc.
They pull resources together and position themselves to win as a team instead of working in silos. They also support each other to gain access to funds from big financial institutions in Africa and abroad. We tend to create such a hostile competition among ourselves and fail to see the sum of what we can achieve together if we were to pull our resources together and work together, leverage each other’s strengths and pull together like the European Union. For example, why are we still debating about having an African passport that allows for easy movement and trade between our countries? Why can’t we make it easy for Africans with special skills to cross the borders and easily find jobs and relevant permits to work and settle there like we often do in the west? It is easier for a young Nigerian professional to apply for PR in Canada and contribute to the Canadian economy than to get such recognition and status in Botswana, Mauritius or Namibia.
5. Zero tolerance for Corruption- African leaders must be intentional and deal with corruption. All African countries must embrace a zero tolerance policy. Anyone who is guilty of corruption must face strict penalties and never be allowed to hold higher public office. How I wish intentional leaders like the late John Magufuli- former president of Tanzania lived longer, to lead the zero tolerance for corruption movement across the continent. As mentioned earlier, proper systems and structures with transparent control mechanisms must be incorporated in our systems to ensure that everyone complies with regulations and those who violates the rules must be brought to order before they collapse the entire system.We must strengthen our judicial system and ensure that it is highly independent with no influence from the executive and legislative arms of the government.
- Final Remarks
Africa is a beautiful continent, blessed with myriad natural resources, beautiful animals, the wetlands of Okavango Deltas, remarkable views of Kilimanjaro and spectacular Victoria falls that have been tourist attractions for decades. Coupled with the remarkable talents and brilliant minds, we can turn Africa into paradise. I have so much hope in our youth, I believe that they have better tools and are better equipped to move Africa forward. I hope and pray that we will continue to give young Africans an opportunity to lead and transform our continent.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share my views with your amazing audience.