15 Aug 2017

The Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology has informed Parliament that Letlhakane Senior Secondary School has sufficient basic science equipment, whereas the junior secondary schools do not have sufficient apparatus.

Answering a question in Parliament from the MP for Boteti East Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe, on behalf of the Minister of Basic Education, Mr Fidelis Molao said all of the schools were struggling with a shortage of furniture for the laboratories and they have been encouraged to carry out repairs.

He further said the ministry has allocated Letlhakane Senior Secondary School P132 925 for laboratory consumables and an average of P61 254 for each of the junior schools for the laboratory consumables.

He however said this amount was not enough considering the large cost and wide variety of materials and equipment needed in schools.

Minister Molao further told the House that all schools referred to have their full complement of laboratory assistants as per their establishments. 

In the meantime he said of the 39 laboratories in the secondary schools, 10 laboratories, approximately 25 per cent, were  used as base rooms, noting that this is not ideal as preparation for classes was affected. 

Nevertheless he said the construction of the laboratory in Ditsweletse JSS under the ESP would be in 2018/19. The other schools needs with regard to construction of laboratories would be considered under normal school expansion programmes as and when funds permits.

MP Lelatisitswe had asked the minister to appraise the House on the status of the science and other subjects’ laboratories at Letlhakane Secondary School, Motsumi, Ditsweletse and Makgadikgadi Junior Secondary Schools in particular: availability of laboratories, availability of furniture and budget for the daily/routine laboratory consumables, their availability and whether it meets the demand of each subject concerned.

The MP further wanted to know the availability of laboratory assistants per laboratory, how many of these laboratories were used as base classes and the disadvantages of this arrangement and when the long promised laboratories would be delivered to Boteti East Constituency schools under ESP.   ENDS