28 Jul 2019

Diacore Diamond Company has officially handed over a cheque of P100 000 to First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi, as a donation towards procuring equipment for Ncojane Junior Secondary School's science laboratory.

When receiving the cheque, Ms Masisi applauded Diacore Botswana for its generous gesture and for making charitable initiatives a pillar of its corporate culture.

The First Lady said the company approached her in May to join the Diacore Gaborone Marathon, with a condition that at the end a donation would be made towards a charity of her choice.

She said she then decided to select Ncojane laboratory as the recipient of the donation, because she was taken aback by how empty the school's science laboratory was during her visit to the school in 2017 with President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

"What was supposed to be a Science lab was an empty room with a wooden counter. And having been a keen science student myself, I wondered how the students would make through any scientific enquiry process when all they had were textbooks," said Ms Masisi.

"That sounds impossible, because science requires exploration, testing, measurements and enquiry with requisite apparatus," she added.

In this digital age, Ms Masisi stressed, there was no chance, that students would compete with others without the necessary education equipment.

"They are outright eliminated from the competition even before they start," she said.

For that reason, she said she wanted students to have an opportunity of having a good laboratory and good exposition.

The donation, she said would therefore result in availing a much improved learning environment for the students ‘and indeed unleash the long term potential of quality Science, Technology Engineering and Maths.”

In his welcome remarks, the Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Machana Shamukuni said the support, was geared towards the efforts of government in the development of Science education, for the ultimate purpose of a knowledge based economy and economic diversification.

"More efforts will be made by the First Lady to raise funds for the same course," he added.

Handing over the cheque, Diacore Diamond Company managing director, Mr Kfir Teichman thanked First Lady for joining the 2019 Diacore Gaborone Marathon saying due to her participation they managed to raise more funds for charity than previous the years.

Since its inception in 2012 with 2000 people, he said the marathon was organised every year to promote healthy lifestyle, with proceeds going towards charity.

This year, Mr Teichman said was their eighth edition and there were over 8000 participants in the marathon, of which about 6700 were Batswana.

Giving a vote of thanks, the Minister of Basic Education, Mr Bagalatia Arone thanked MmaAtsile and President Masisi for their support and hard work and for visiting public schools as they go around the country. 

He also promised that his ministry would make a contribution in addition to Diacore's P100 000 donation ‘for us to have a Science laboratory of MmaAtsile's dream and our dream.’ Ends