25 Aug 2016

The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ms Botlogile Tshireletso has said that government was committed to providing a conducive learning environment for students because education was a fundamental right. 

Speaking at the handover ceremony of donations by the Swanepoel family to Samane Primary School on August 24, she noted that education was an important aspect in a person’s life and therefore Botswana took it in high regard.

“As government, we believe that it is through a good education system that we can fulfill our commitment to the nation by creating employment for Batswana and taking Batswana out of poverty. The government has over the years committed huge amounts of resources to providing relevant infrastructure and   expanding educational opportunities for every child,” she said.

However, she noted that providing such necessities were costly to government, hence the introduction of the Adopt-A-School initiative, which sought to give the private sector and the society in general an opportunity to contribute towards the education sector. 

This contribution, she noted, was not only limited to financial assistance, but included the provision of expertise and resources. 

Members of the communities could contribute by volunteering their time to support schools, she added.

She noted that so far the initiative has had positive impact, with over P12 million worth of assistance received by schools in the south region between June 2015 and June this year.

She commended the Swanepoel family, who through their company, Techno Feeds, donated P40 000 worth of goods and facilities to Samane Primary School. 

The family donated recreational facilities, library books, carpet, blankets and gift hampers for all the pupils in the school.

She said the donations would be a motivating factor to the learners to aim for higher marks.

“The gifts that are being presented here today will go a long way in addressing performance challenges that many of our schools are facing. 

The library books will give learners information on various branches of knowledge. 

Mr Rihan Swanepoel of Techno Feeds said he and his family had been farming around the Samane area for about 15 years and they decided to give back to the community through donations to the school.

He said as a way of promoting the education sector, his family started by collecting over 400 books for the school library, which were handed over with other items. Ends