14 Oct 2018

Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) has donated four printers and one camera to three schools.

The beneficiaries are Thamani Junior Secondary School, Phole Primary School and Materspei College.

The donation ceremony was held at the regional offices of the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security in Francistown.

The printer includes a scanner, photocopying machine and a fax.

The general manager of BVI, Dr Onkabetse Matlho said the equipment costed in excess of P15 000.

Of the four printers, Phole Primary School, he noted, was getting two as they had long made a special request concerning the lack of printing resources at the school.

His institution, he said, was committed to being a stakeholder in education, revealing that it had funds committed for such endeavours every year.

Dr Matlho said BVI had made a commitment to sponsor World Food Day and World Rabies Day annually, adding that they organised an essay contest for schools on different topics, and that winners got prizes.

In 2017, he said they put up P30 000 for the essay competitions for both primary, junior and senior secondary schools, and that this year it was increased to P50 000.

Dr Matlho said the 2017 prizes were tablets, adding that BVI’s other efforts included taking agricultural awareness lessons to schools on topics of animal health vaccines and rabies.

North East District principal education officer, Mr Olopeng Chaba thanked BVI for the donation, saying it would go a long way in increasing productivity in the schools.

He noted that it was not the first time that the institute was donating IT equipment, saying it had done so previously at Kalakamati.

Mr Chaba said they had recently started an ICT integration project and that with the donations, the implementation of the project would be swift and effective.

He said there was a serious shortage of ICT equipment in many schools. He, however, took comfort in the fact that despite all the challenges, the North East region was the best in the country as far as education was concerned, particularly in PSLE and JC.

District agricultural coordinator, Mr Nkaigwa Joel apologised to the schools for the delay in the arrival of the donated equipment, saying it was supposed to have been done last year.

Mr Joel urged beneficiaries to take care of the equipment. ENDS