31 Oct 2016

Member of Parliament for Shashe West Mr Fidelis Molao has challenged schools in his constituency to do exceptional work and produce results beyond expectation.

The task, he presented at the donation of a school library by Engen Botswana and prize giving ceremony at Makobo Primary School recently in Makobo.

Making a pledge of P44 000 for a period of four years, Mr Molao also Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, explained that the top three schools that score 80 per cent and above will get position one and be awarded P3 000 prize money with the runner up and third position getting P2 000 and P1 000 respectively.

He added that as for the four junior secondary schools in the area position one with a pass mark of 75 per cent and above will receive P3 000 while the runner up will get P2 000.

He noted that the pass mark for junior school is lower because it seems there is so much challenge at these schools and as the leadership, they are working round the clock to find a long term solution which will result in the results improving at these schools.

Mr Molao said through the Adopt a School initiative he is among the people that are always knocking on the doors of corporate entities pleading with them to adopt schools in his constituency.

And though they are willing, often the challenge is that corporates want to be associated with good performance to see results and it is thus that he also wants to see results so that they too can be able to attract entities willing to be associated with them.

Meanwhile human resource manager for Engen Botswana Ms Francinah Tswai said through their corporate social investment policy they have placed so much emphasis on education in particular in the fields of mathematics, science and technology.
And they are however mindful of the fact that these subjects are transmitted through reading.

“The successes in these areas are primarily dependent on the pupils’ ability to acquire knowledge through reading,” she said.

She therefore noted that it is for that reason that they have chosen to address the first basic point of entry being reading by providing a library where the seeds of reading can be cultivated and be meaningfully nourished.

Ms Tswai added that they remain committed to rolling out their corporate social investment programme to primary schools as long as resources permit noting that in the past they have through a partnership with the then Ministry of Education and Skills Development and Sebilo Book Services unveiled similar projects in some schools such as Kgoro Primary, Mogorosi and Kgomodiatshaba.

In all these past projects, she said they have witnessed a steady improvement in the Primary Schools Leaving Examinations results partly due to their intervention.
And they therefore believe they will also see improvement of results in Makobo. ENDS