09 May 2017

 Doing more with little has become the catch phrase in government corridors.
This is especially relevant at a time when government and the private sector are struggling financially due to the effects of the global financial crisis.
To this effect, the school management of Kgale Hill Junior Secondary School in Gaborone and the Parents and Teacher Association (PTA) have heeded to government’s call in a most plausible way.
After realising that any financial allocation would come a little late due to procurement processes that are sometime daunting, the school leadership collaborated in coming up with an ingenious   way of providing school furniture to learners.
They renewed old rusty tables, providing 200 new pieces to supplement supply as numbers increased due to the newly enrolled form one students as the year begins.

The school head, Mr Solomon Setswe said in an interview that in preparation for the beginning of the year, they realised that furniture was inadequate, and they had to be creative and that was when they acted swiftly.
Also, he said the initiative was more driven by the fact that resources that were never adequate due to dwindling resources emanating from equally competing needs in the public serviceand they  came up with such an initiative.
Mr Setswe further said the project was spearheaded by Design and Technology teachers with assistance of school management to renew the tables, and that in a day they were able to make about 30 chairs.
“We took old table frames and dismantled old locker doors that are no longer in use, to use them as table tops to make 200 new desks for students. We also engaged a company called Bona-Tlou to assist us in welding some of the dislocated table parts,” he said.

He said the project was funded by school PTA with funds for purchasing of spray paints to renew the tables to the  tune of P1700.
Mr Setswe said in addition, the school PTA also donated to school about 100 chairs that were funded through the school’s development levy at a cost of P6000.
For his part, PTA deputy chairperson, Mr Gregory Kelebonye said in an interview that doing more with little had always been the government and private sector’s desire.
“For a long time, government and the private sector have talked about doing much with little,” he said.
Mr Kelebonye said what the school has done should become an example to other government institutions that old furniture that is normally piled up unusable or sometimes actioned could still be used, after being renewed. ENDS