Africa-Press – Botswana. The government of Japan through its embassy has donated P1 miliion (USD 80 349) towards the construction of a special unit at Marulamantsi Junior Secondary School in Phase 4, Gaborone.
The special unit block will include a classroom, kitchen, sick bay, office, bathroom and toilet.
Handing over the donation on recently, Japan Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Ohmiri Setsuo recognized Marulamantsi Junior as pioneer of education for students with learning difficulties.
“Over the years, the school has been receiving an increasing number of students who need special assistance, and it is for that reason that the government of Japan has accepted to fund the project aimed at addressing their needs,” he said.
He said the funds would be used to build a special classroom with the requisite facilities so that the affected students could learn at their desired pace. Mr Setsuo was confident that the facility would support special education in the school to enhance handicapped students’ potential.
The School Head Mr Amos Muzila appreciated the grant assistance from the government of Japan under the Grassroots Human Security Projects and said it would assist the school to advance the cause of inclusive and equitable quality education as espoused in the Sustainable Development Goals.
He said Marulamantsi JSS was opened in January 1996 as a 12-stream school and had since grown exponentially in terms of students’ enrolment. Mr Muzila said the school admitted students of mixed abilities, some of them academically challenged and unable to learn effectively in the mainstream setup.
As a result, Mr Muzila said students with learning difficulties were not well catered for as the school does not have tailored made facilities for their learning needs.
Currently, Mr Muzila said the school was operating as a 27 stream, with a staff complement of 65 teachers, 25 non-teaching staff and a student population of 876, the majority being those from low-income families. He said the bulk of students with special education needs came from Old Naledi locality and therefore the proposed special education block would afford them the opportunity to learn at their own pace and level of maturity.
Mr Muzila said the school was committed to the success of the project and once completed, the facility would be put to productive use for its intended purpose.
A special education teacher, Ms Veronica Rampa said the Japanese government came to the rescue after she was granted permission by the school head to continue with her initiative of asking for funding for a special unit facility. “I am happy that my dream has been realised,” she said.
Chief Education Officer, Gaborone Region, Mr Kwante Kwante said the donation would assist in bridging the gap of limited resources.
Mr Kwante said government was currently talking about inclusive education and therefore no one should be left behind due to shortage of facilities, adding that students with disabilities must be fully equipped to show their abilities.
Therefore, Mr Kwante said government through the support of various stakeholders in the education sector was determined to provide equitable education.
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