23 Feb 2017

Minister of Basic Education, Dr Unity Dow says abuse of drugs in schools calls for urgent attention.

Dr Dow said this at the Desert Bush Walk - Winter 2016 Project Handover Ceremony and the launch of the 2017 walk, where the CSI Concepts Foundation Trustees, in collaboration with the Local Organising committee of the Desert Bush Walk handed over two cheques, amounting to P160 000.

The Committee has since approved P150 000 towards a Resource Centre to benefit 19 primary Schools in Jwaneng-Mabutsane region, of which a further P10 000 was given new Xanagas Charity Drive, to assist all vulnerable and the underprivileged pupils at new Xanagas Primary School in the Gantsi District.

“The drug situation is really reaching emergency and urgent proportions. It is our responsibility to do something about this,” she said.

She said Botswana would be spending more monies towards Rehabilitation Centres and Counselling expertise in the next 10 years.

“The people who are selling drugs have no right to force us in 10 years to be spending monies in areas we do not want to be spending on,” she said.

Dr Dow said one of this year’s focus should be on discipline, adding that often parents do not support their children in terms of discipline.

“Parents do not understand the Children’s Act. It is actually very simple as it means whatever you do, the primary concern should be at the best interest of a child. If you think it is in the best interest of a child to keep quite seeing your child coming home at night and tell you that their room is their private space, then you do not know what is in the best interest of a child,” she said.

Dr Dow thanked all those who contributed towards the achievement of the walk in an effort to help others and thanked the Desert Bush Walk for investing in education.

For his part, the chairperson of CSI Concepts Foundation Trustees and Local Organising Committee, Mr Achibald Ngakayagae said they organised a 25km walk in 2014, where they took participants on a bush trail from Jwaneng to Sese to raise funds towards the construction of the Learning Centre to house a carpentry workshop.

He said in 2016 they received overwhelming requests for assistance from many schools around the country, even from underprivileged members in the communities.

“It was then that the CSI Concepts Foundation in conjunction with the Desert Bush walk Local Organising Committee and volunteers organised yet another walk with the same objectives of 2014,” he said

Mr Ngakayagae said they manage to secure enough funding to deliver the main objective, which was to support sustainable educational projects and disadvantaged children within Jwaneng-Mabutsane and beyond.

“Today as global agendas which guide development priorities for this generation move towards sustainable development, Botswana continues to work towards eradicating poverty, fighting inequalities, building peaceful inclusive and resilient societies, securing the future of the planet and the wellbeing of future generations.

The team now proposes to host the third edition of the Desert Bush Walk-Winter 2017 on the July 29, which is to start in Jwaneng then take a bush trail into the desert, ending in Jwaneng. BOPA