21 May 2018

A group of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) from United States of America residing in the Ngamiland district embarked on a 375km literacy cycling tour to promote literacy awareness in schools in the region.

The 11-day exciting journey started from Shakawe in the Okavango and ended in Maun.

The Peace Corps Volunteers had been deployed across the district for their two-year assignments and mostly are stationed in some primary and Junior Schools while some are assigned to District AIDS Coordination or social community development offices.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the literacy cycling tour, the coordinator of the event, Ms Gertrude Lowani thanked the Peace Corps for their efforts and contribution towards the education system in the region.

She said they took a risk to pass through the jungle and sacrificed their health just because they wanted to see change in the education system.

“You have proved that indeed you have put first the future of the pupils in your hearts and I salute you for the sterling job,” she added.

The objective of cycling, she said was raising awareness about lack of literacy in school in the district and to increase English test scores at participating schools by five per cent in 2018.

The event also aimed at inspiring participating schools to implement more literacy focused programme.

Ms Lowani, who is also the principal education officer explained that the schools’ performance in the district was not satisfactory and “our aim is to strive for excellence hence our focus was more on English subject as we believe that if learners could perform better on the subject, they are likely to pass other subjects.”

She explained that during the tour, they had stop overs in some schools where participants interacted with learners, teachers, parents and other stakeholders.

The participants, she said embarked on a number of activities in line with literacy and life skills citing that learners were drilled on skills such as communication, critical thinking, reading, listening and writing.

For her part, Peace Corps country director, Dr Elizabeth O’Malley thanked the Ministry of Basic Education for giving Peace Corps an opportunity to work on literacy in the region.

She said what they were doing was to augment and support the ministry’ programme in a view to improve and sharpen learners’ skills as far as literacy was concerned.

Dr O’ Malley said the literacy cycling tour was the first of its kind to be held in the country and urged all stakeholders to come and board and join hands with teachers to promote literacy.

Next year, she said they wanted to see teachers joining the Peace Corps group as that would motivate their counterparts and learners as well.

“That would be a mutual experience as our Peace Corps will also learn and take the best home,” she added.

For her part, Kgosi Pringle Dithapo thanked the Peace Corps for a job well done noting that since independence, America had been supportive to Botswana in many areas such as health and education.

He said America was the second country to establish an embassy in Botswana.

Kgosi Dithapo shared a brief history of Maun with the Peace Corps noting that the village was established in 1915 and today is more like a town.

He said Maun was a tourism destination as visitors used it as a gate way to the famous Okavango Delta. ENDS