Nthatuoa Koeshe
BUDDING author ‘Makhotso Ketsi is set to launch her debut book titled Toning your talent which is aimed at triggering change and instilling the innovation and entrepreneurship mind-set in youths.
A chemical analyst at the National University of Lesotho and one of the strong forces behind the NUL Innovation Hub, ‘Makhotso said the book will be launched at the institution of higher learning on the 28th of this month.
Makhotso (38), is an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder in the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), a network of countries aiming at robustly engaging its member states in entrepreneurship to advance their economies.
The writer told the Xpress People that she is now engaging in promoting student entrepreneurship and says her main goal is to assist in professionalising entrepreneurship nationally.
The 70-paged Toning your talent comes with a workbook for learners which addresses issues that include the high rate of unemployment that “can only be solved by engaging youth into self-awareness and discovery programmes that will help them nature their talents and professions to give a commercial value while already serving their communities”.
‘Makhotso told the Xpress People that prior to writing the book, in 2014 and 2015 she co-engaged in training unemployed graduates to venture into manufacturing businesses and she found out that their zeal for business was short-lived and that they had not grown any business muscles yet.
“After that, my husband and I then reviewed our efforts and saw a need to redirect our energies towards assisting in instilling entrepreneurship culture and mindset in Basotho from a tender age,” ‘Makhotso said.
She said their main target groups were learners at primary schools through their teachers and parents and also those in tertiary schools.
“These primary school learners cannot yet decide for themselves so we depend on teachers and parents to expose them to the contents of this book,” Makhotso said adding that teachers can achieve that by using the book as an additional to prescribed books for the life skills curriculum.
“I have had two education inspectors so far highly recommending the book for this new curriculum in primary and high schools in Lesotho, saying it is very resourceful as it touches on various aspects of the syllabi. They also said the book is in simple English that can be understood by those at lower levels,” she said
She further added that there was also a possibility of using the book in communities by social workers and youth workers and also in churches by youth leaders.
“Toning your talent also comes in intermediate coaching sessions for those going to tertiary institutions and there is also a series of ‘Effective Citizens’ workshops targeting members of the society in general, working class citizens, retired citizens and government officials.
“We are hoping to advance into Toning your talent School of Excellence to effectively assist in strengthening our educational system by closing the gaps,” she said
‘Makhotso said the book is already being sold in all Roman Catholic Churches book shops countrywide adding that they were also recruiting interested Basotho graduates to become Toning your talent sales agents and trainers by adopting schools in which they will introduce the book and engage learners and students in community or business projects as recommended by the book.
Although they have so far printed just 200 copies, ‘Makhotso said they would soon increase their print run as informed by the demand.
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