Africa-Press – Botswana. Some companies have pledged to contribute to improvement of the facilities at Makalamabedi Junior Secondary School.
This follows Member of Parliament for Maun North, Mr Dumelang Saleshando’s visit to the school recently to appreciate the hostels’ condition, which are old and dilapidated.
The situation was reported to be dire and there was shortage of beds and mattresses, a situation that has resulted in learners sleeping on the floor while others use boards as mattresses.
Mr Saleshando informed residents during a kgotla meeting at Sanyedi ward on Tuesday that some companies had agreed to rescue the situation, citing that World Group of Companies would next week donate 200 mattresses at the school.
Efforts to lure more partners to extend a helping hand, he said, were ongoing. He explained that they were looking for a company to assist with repair of doors and windows as learners were exposed to the harsh weather conditions.
The school is situated at Boteti region but the majority of learners admitted at the school are from the Ngamiland region on a boarding basis.
“I have to intervene because over 90 per cent of the learners at the school are from villages in my constituency and the situation they are living in leaves a lot to be desired. The situation is unbearable and we cannot expect our children to produce results. I am hopeful that more good Samaritans will come and board to improve the situation,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr Saleshando said he had also toured some schools in his constituency and the facilities were in bad state. He said a safari company, Desert and Delta had agreed to assist in replacing black boards with better ones, noting they would start with three schools. “Our intention is to change blackboards in all schools in our jurisdiction”.
He also concurred with residents that there was need for another second senior secondary school in Maun to reduce distance travelled by learners to access education at Maun Senior School.
The legislator also expressed that one of the primary schools should have a boarding facility to cater for pupils whose parents were working in safari companies in the Okavango Delta.
Mr Saleshando said some pupils were taken care of by their siblings, which compromised their upbringing and also affected their academic performance.
He expressed concern about poor performance in schools and promised to invest the bulk of the Constituency Community Programme (CCP) funding towards educational activities in bid to improve performance.
Mr Saleshando stated in the previous years, the funds were used to construct computer laboratories in some schools, noting that they would continue constructing more laboratories in other schools as priority is to improve the education system.
Through CCP, he said, they intended to construct some pre-schools and hand over to Village Development Committees to operate them. He said part of the funds would be used to establish market stalls at Maun Old Mall to ensure hawkers operate in an organised manner.
Currently, hawkers are trading by pathways, car parking and open space in the mall and Mr Saleshando opined that establishment of the stalls would make the face of the mall more appealing. Some residents appreciated efforts made by office of the MP through CCP to enhance learning, saying education was essential for their children future success.
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