28 Apr 2014

Education is the key to eliminating gender inequality, reducing poverty, creating a sustainable planet and fostering peace, says acting education director for Ngamiland, Ms Violet Eleck.

Speaking during a celebration in honor of the Cairns family recently, Ms Eleck said education was the new currency by which nations maintained economic competitiveness and global prosperity.

The Cairns family from the United States of America adopted Gxhabara Primary School in 2012 while they were on a safari camp in the Okavango Delta. It was a match made in heaven, and the relationship blossomed over the years with the Cairns family donating books, laptops, stationery and many other much needed amenities for the school.

Ms Eleck said the Cairns family had shown that they were committed individuals who had hearts filled with love for humanity by travelling all the way from America to Botswana to help the needy. “Surely the seeds of love that they have sown will benefit our nation in years to come,” she said.

She added that the importance of education could not be over emphasised as it was inseparable from the development of human capital. She encouraged the school staff to do more with the little they have to enhance the school’s academic performance.

She said the partnership between Gxhabara Primary School and the Cairns family not only provides a rallying point for the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to re-engineer the educational blue print, but also paves the way for global trends and international best practice in basic education.

“This requires a robust and holistic input by all stakeholders for all of us to benefit. We say thank you to the Cairns family for such a commendable job,” said Ms Eleck.

The school head, Ms Tracy Mokunki said indeed the Adopt a School initiative was bearing positive results, adding that the donation from the Cairns family was fuelled by a shared passion to ensure that children received the best education possible. She revealed that the relationship was brokered by Mr Brooks Kamanakao, a tour guide with Okavango Wilderness Safaris.

Ms Pat Cairns and her sister Ms Barbra Bales visited the school in March 2012 before heading back to USA. They later assisted the school with books and other donations. Ms Mokunki said the ceremony was organized to thank the benefactors because they were not there when their donation was received.

“The future of these children looks brighter, and their academic performance has improved dramatically, thanks the Cairns family,” she said.

For her part, Ms Pat Cairns encouraged parents to take part in their children’s education and to regularly check their children’s work. She encouraged the children to understand that they are the future leaders of the country, and the effort they put into their studies now will determine what kind of future they will have. Ends