04 Jun 2020

Ministry of Basic Education (MoBE) Chief Education Officer for Chobe region Mr Elijah Motlhabi says the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has derailed government plans to develop Batswana.

Speaking at the donation of 676 face masks by Councillor Chimney Mololwane to the primary schools of Mabele (200 masks), Kavimba (160 masks) and Kachikau (316 masks) on Monday, Mr Motlhabi explained that since the outbreak of the deadly disease, government had channeled a lot of money into the fight against the pandemic.

He explained that before the outbreak, the government had in place, a number of projects to undertake during the current financial year but the disease had shuttered everything, leaving the government to dig deep from the public coffers.

“Corona-virus forces us to live the way it wants and the wearing of face masks is now going to be part of everyone’s life until a cure is found for the disease,” he noted.

He said for the first time in history, a disease such as COVID-19 had forced the whole world to go on lockdown.

Mr Motlhabi applauded Cllr Mololwane for the gesture, saying that what he did was an investment in the education system and since the production of the masks was done locally, locals were also empowered economically.

For his part, Cllr Mololwane advised teachers to help the learners understand the importance of using face masks, adding that masks must not be shared.

He also said it was upon the teachers to make sure that pupils always wore their masks to prevent possible spread of the virus.

Cllr Mololwane said government alone could not fight COVID-19 pandemic without the involvement of the Batswana and other stakeholders and appealed to everyone to assist. ENDS