With the Covid-19 pandemic being the biggest challenges to educations, many schools especially higher learning institution, came up with innovative ways to ensure learning is not disrupted. To find out about how higher learning institutions are coping, theReporter’s Kefiloe Kajane got in touch with the Institute of Development Management’s (IDM) ‘s country director Retṧelisitsoe Nko to find out the challenges the institute faced during the pandemic and how they overcame them.
Tell us about yourself as IDM Country Director and how long you have held this position.
This has been an eventful three years leading and heading IDM. What is most important
is that I joined IDM with all the passion and quest to make it better. It gave me a mix of
all I needed to unleash, as a consult, an academic and an innovative strategic leader;
that’s what I needed and so I believed IDM needed too, therefore to me this was a
perfect opportunity to leave a mark. I am a very Result Based Oriented person who
needs a results and firm strategies to evaluate the outcome (impacts and changes or
contribution in behavior). Education provides a pathway for all these given a right mix of attitude and determination. I must say my life and journey in IDM deserves a whole book and the novelty it has to be given. One thing I am thankful of is managing to make quite visible strides in maintaining IDM original dream of our forefathers and founders of the regional organization and to add a mix of innovation to keep up with the real world
issues through IDM. Needless to say, I believe my reign in IDM has some far reaching
results and hope to keep up or up the game for IDM to reach undoubtable levels of
excellence.
Tell us about IDM and its background
The Institute of Development Management (IDM) was established in 1974 as an
autonomous regional organisation in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (BLS) to help
meet the management needs of the region through management development activities
including training, consultancy, research and the establishment of a Management
Resource Centre. The Institute operates under the general direction of a Governing
Board composed of representatives from government, industry and universities in each
of the BLS countries.
IDM was initially established to achieve the following specific objectives:
- To improve the managerial knowledge and skills of persons charged with senior
responsibilities for development in the public, parastatal and private sectors;
- To provide management training and consultancy to middle and senior level
personnel in the public, parastatal and private sectors;
- To improve organizational structure, administrative and management procedures
and development policies related to social and economic needs;
- To improve the available database for decision making with respect to
development;
- To extend public awareness of and encourage public involvement in all aspects
of development.
The Institute has grown tremendously over the years, and its mandate has expanded to
cater for the current needs for its member countries. This has widened the scope to
focus on both academic and professional courses as well as action oriented research
and consultancy.
Since 1974, a number of changes in the educational landscape of the B/L/S had
necessitated a shift in the management of training, research and consultancy.
We have seen many Institutions of higher learning face challenges of online
classes during the pandemic, as an institutions did you face this challenges and
how did you overcome them?
Much as it was not a foreign concept to deliver online teaching and learning within IDM, the issue of appreciation and the only option was a challenge to both the givers and recipients of education. Mind that it came as a shocker to all when academic learning changed the face of nomenclature into the new thinking of embracing information technology and the digital learning (3rd industrial revolution). IDM has since been using Col Campus as a Learning Platform for both sharing notes, materials, online assessments and audio visual teaching aids and lectures. Much as it was utilized before the new normal, access was easy because of network coverage for students and lecturers on campus. The limitation to the on-campus access became a challenge when everyone had to perform their role off campus, now coming with high end demands for data and calling bundles. The costs went exceedingly high both on demand and supply side. At times we had to rely on WhatsApp platforms to share information speedily. Some challenges related to network coverage for those who stayed in hard to reach areas with limited reception. However, we also created an option of uploading external devices like disks to load modules and course materials. The challenges still continue at some instances but we hope a fully integrated Learner Management System will ease the brunt as well as stretching the zero rates educational cites.
What makes IDM different from other higher learning institutions in the country?
Cultural diversity and the regionalism play an important role in embracing a lot of global
quality standards in provision of education and professional management consultancy.
We have since forged a variety of franchise programmes with internationally recognized
education institutions and has brought closer to home programmes that produced more
of professional in service practical solutions than the common theory based educational
programmes. For instance, in this time of Covid-19, IDM received accreditation for a
programme in Emergency Medical Care, a course needed even at family level and more
at workplace to have skill to upkeep the occupational safety and health. Similarly, we
have run for over 15 years such professional programmes as Chartered Institute of
Procurement and Supply, a UK based programme and spotted as a programme of first
resort to address the professionalization of procurement cadre in Lesotho. Our diversity
and alignment to global trends has helped to address the in service and pre service
needs leaving no gaps in addressing the national development goals. Our long term
existence still says we have kept the compliance with regulatory and our relevance takes the momentum coupled with the ISO Certification of Quality Assurance and Management Systems. IDM offers both the long and short term courses at a unique level of professional combination for ore service and in serve personnel.
We realise the high unemployment rate in the country, as an institution, how do you ensure that your students leave the institution industry ready to break into the workplace?
Like previous said above, we provide a variety of innovative offerings aligned to the country’s development needs, and with a scrutiny of market research and latest educational trends for industry ready experts. Most of our programmes cover practicums and work simulations and delivered by a regulated lecturers and consultants from the work environment and field. As to ensure seamless process of our products, we forged a couple of MoUs with industrial giants to offer attachments to our products and possible absorption. IDM offerings re aligned to market needs and trends and addressed practical work based solutions and profession.
How has IDM changed or not changed in the past years since it came to Lesotho?
We have now started moving from franchise courses and develop completely localized fit for purpose programmes. IDM was known as an institution that offers short term courses then known as “workshops”. Todays it has implemented a number of long term programmes and academic offerings. Moreover, the institution has now positioned itself as a leading management consultancy institution ready to provide solutions to day to day workplace challenges. IDM has also positioned itself as a research and consultancy institution keeping up with trends and developments; e.g. salary surveys; Building high Performance Organizations HPOs among others.
How do you make sure that during this time of the pandemic, the learning environment for students stays the conducive?
Well it’s a challenge but through our blended learning, structured face to face delivery, online distance teaching and learning and simulations has kept our doors open and relevant. We are very particular about our Quality Management Systems and make all efforts to maintain the quality of education delivered to students while improvising to adopt to change.
