04 Dec 2017

Palapye’s first primary school, Sebeso, is one of the schools that has helped change Batswana for the better, especially Palapye  community.

Officiating at Sebeso Primary School 50^th Anniversary Assistant Minister of Education, Mr Moiseraele Goya commended teachers, students and parents for celebrating this significant milestone in the history of the school.

The school, which was formerly known as Palapye Development School, which was established in 1967 under the guidance of the late Kgosi Gaefalale Sebeso.

He said the school came at the right time to provide quick and rapid response to the country’s human resource requirements.

He said key high paying managerial positions at independence were monopolised by foreigners while many Batswana had to settle for low paying menial jobs.

To reverse this scenario, he said investments were put into schools like Sebeso Primary School to fast-track the localisation process in order to put the destiny of the country in the hands of Batswana.

Further, Mr Goya, who is also MP for Palapye, said at independence access to primary education was a serious challenge due to limited education opportunities.

Sebeso Primary School, he said, is one of the schools, which dramatically improved access to primary education.

From a handful of schools built 50 years ago, he said the country now boasts of a total of 755 public primary schools.

“Efforts are being made to provide pre-education opportunities to cater for the previously unserved less privileged children whose parents cannot afford to pay school fees at private schools,” he said.

He said government is providing reception classes to a total of close to 500 schools, adding ‘by 2020 every eligible Motswana learner will enjoy access to pre-school education’.

Conditions of teaching and learning are much better than yesterday as children are enjoying the benefits of being born in the information age, an era offering them an opportunity to access learning via internet and smart phones.

“With these goodies at their disposal the present generation has no reason to fail.”

Class of 1967 representative, Mr Sebetlela Sebetlela added that back then children’s classes were conducted under trees and used slate to write.

Despite these hardships, he said the school continued and the children were committed to their school work. ENDS