Abstract:

This paper brings to the limelight issues that can be addressed in order to give birth to the Software Industry in Botswana. Despite the criticisms, setbacks and disasters recorded in literature, the discipline of software engineering today has scored high in its status and achievements in all spheres of human life. Software engineering coupled with related ICTs has managed to give birth to what is now commonly known as a ‘global society where all people around the world now live in one village.’ It is like the discipline has become the social fabric that holds this ‘global society’ together as one. Botswana as a country is no exception. The question to be answered is, “Why are we being left alone in this software engineering bandwagon?. Results have been shown by drawing a series of surveys from both the private and public sector organizations in Botswana. Likewise, information to do with software engineering in Botswana is scarce, scattered and fragmented. No one has yet come forward to provide home-grown solutions to the needs of individuals and organizations seeking to benefit from the rewards offered by advancing the causes of such a discipline. This white paper is unique because it tries to provide a strategic suite that should mark the complete layout of the foundation for the Software industry in Botswana. It is now over 50 years after the birth of this discipline but the question to be answered is , ‘What critical role has Botswana played in advancing the causes of this discipline?’. This paper outlines the state of affairs with regards to the success, failures, opportunities, gaps and experiences in offering software engineering education in Botswana. It is indisputable that software engineering and ICTs have become the lifeblood or the central nervous system of every society. This is supported by Booch quoted in [1] who said that ,”Civilization runs on software. It effects how we work, govern, communicate ,eat, sleep and play.” Thus software engineering practitioners should rise to the occasion so that they fulfill societal dreams that are deeply entrenched in the horizon. The success of Software practitioners is catapulted by a rich academic background that mould them in the first place for there is a common say which says, ‘charity begins at home.’

Keywords:

Software engineering education, software industry, new economy, curriculum.