23 Sep 2020

Retired staff of Motetshwane Primary School in Serowe has donated chairs and desks to the school’s special education unit.

The retired staff handed over 20 chairs, 20 desks and 10 sanitisers during a ceremony that was attended  by area MP Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe and other local leaders at the school premises on Tuesday.

Handing over the chairs, the group representative, Ms Rebecca Motswetla noted that the school needed tables and chairs for learners.

Ms Motswetla who was a teacher at the school from 1976-1980, explained that they raised funds amounting to P6 000 utilising their pensions.

MP Mathoothe and area councilor added P1 000 while the wife of former Vice President Mompati Merafhe contributed P2 000. Ms Motswetla said they remained committed to ensuring the school and the pupils living with disability succeeded academically.

She stated that with world    economies experiencing a downturn due to COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to build partnerships with corporate entities to ensure that education provision to learners living with disabilities was realised.

She said  access to education was a right for all children including those living with disabilities.

Twenty-five retired staff members organised a re-union and they formed a group to assist their former school.

Receiving the donation, the school head, Mr Ontiretse Kenaope thanked the retired staff for their compassion and support, noting that it would bring changes in the lives of the children with disabilities and their parents.

He said he was grateful for the donation, saying that they had been running short of chairs and desks.

The school head said the donations would go a long way to help the school improve academic performance and enable the school to observe social distancing protocol. 

Chief Education Officer, Mr Basil Gasemotse commended former Motetshwane staff for the  gesture. He said government alone could not afford to bring developments to school.

Mr Gasemotse also urged former pupils of the school to contribute to the development of their former school.

Giving vote of thanks, Mr Mathoothe said the school faced challenges that could be addressed through partnerships with other stakeholders. He said the chairs played an important role in disability mainstreaming which was a part of the government’s development goal.

Thus, he was hopeful that the former staff would join the current staff in assisting more learners to realise their dreams as well as build a better Botswana.

Mr Mathoothe noted that there were many people in the world living with disabilities who needed help of some kind, adding discrimination against such people should stop. 

Thus, he urged government through councils and the private sector to help people living with disabilities so as to integrate them into the society. Ends