Africa-Press – Botswana. Mogoditshane Primary School has received Stainless Steel Steam Cooking System worth over P350 000 from W.D. Engineering through the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Mogoditshane on Monday, Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Mr Tumiso Rakgare thanked the company for the donation.
“It is an honour and privilege to have W.D. Engineering company in the area.
It is not easy to make a donation worth more than P350 000.
This is a welcome gesture and we really appreciate it,” Mr Rakgare said.
He said the donation followed his visit to the company plant located in Nkoyaphiri Industrial site in 2020, where he had made a plea for assistance.
He, therefore, thanked the company’s director, Mr Louis Dsouza for keeping the promise and donating three steam cooking pots to the school.
“Good nutrition in schools is important as it can help motivate pupils to focus on their studies.
Teachers prepare pupils for life and not only to pass, by give them life skills,” he added.
For his part, Mr Dsouza said the cooking system was simple, cost- effective and user friendly because it used coal and water.
“It is a simple system and has been there for long, cost-effective and user friendly.
It comes with a 12-month warranty and a six-month maintenance plan.
The system can last for a minimum of 10 years,” he explained.
He added that the same steam cooking system was also used at Boipelego Junior Secondary School in Serowe, which the school had purchased from his company three years ago.
In her remarks, principal education officer for Mogoditshane/Thamaga, Ms Maflat Makolo also thanked the company for the donation.
“We are thankful that you gave whatever you managed to give to the school and having an input towards education.
When children are able to go to class having been fed because somebody provided where the cooking can take place, it is something not to take for granted.
So, we are very thankful,” she said.
Receiving the donation, the school head, Mr Samuel Setuke also appreciated W.D Engineering for the user friendly steam cooking system, saying it would help the school spend less on food preperation.
However, he expressed concern about his school’s unimpressive academic performance in the past three years.
He indicated that in 2020 the school had 145 pupils, out of which only 71 per cent managed an ABC pass while in 2021, there were 146 pupils and the school managed a 73.3 per cent pass,.
“But there was a slight drop in 2022 where pupils dropped to 60.5 per cent.
This does not sit well with us.
We are worried they have dropped by 13 per cent.
The current Standard Sevens are sitting at 52 per cent, which is eight per cent below the baseline.
But, we want to assure you that, come October, we will not be talking 52 per cent.
By the grace of the Lord, we hope we will add 20 per cent to this and it will give us 70 or even 80 per cent.
It is achievable and we will do it,” he added.
In a vote of thanks, Mogoditshane Central councillor, Mr Paul Magwaza thanked W.D. Engineering for the donation and encouraged it to extend the same support to other schools.
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