20 May 2021

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has called for sound management of school property to preserve it for future generations.

Speaking yesterday during a visit to Khakhea’s Molongwa Community Junior Secondary School which boasts a newly-built science laboratory, Dr Masisi said that was achievable through the drawing up of rules and regulations to mold pupils into responsible citizens.

 Saying effective maintenance of schools was limited by lack of school rules, the President told management to enforce discipline and to encourage pupils not to vandalize school property. 

  “There should be application of school rules such as no banging of doors, no running around, no breaking of windows,” he said.

President Masisi stressed that construction and development of schools was done through tax payer’s money and therefore all must take care of them.

Coming generations banked on today’s generations to take care of the future, he stated.

President Masisi, who was accompanied by First Lady Neo Masisi, also presented 300 blankets to the school explaining that they were a fulfillment of his promise of catering for learners who were not covered by the donation he made last year.

On the COVID-19 pandemic, he encouraged teachers to stay alert and exercise caution at all times because the nature of their duty compelled them to interact with different learners on a daily basis. 

President Masisi said the COVID-19 variant B.1.617, which was first detected in India, required all to inform themselves about the virus and to strictly adhere to health protocols.

 It was incumbent upon every individual to take precautions to avoid contacting the virus or infecting others, he said and called for all to pull together in order to defeat coronavirus.

The President gave the assurance that COVID-19 prevention was government’s top priority and that the state would continue to devise strategies of dealing with urgent challenges brought about by the pandemic.

Ms Matildah Matlhare, the school’s head teacher, thanked the President and First Lady for the additional blankets explaining that last year, 385 learners out of an enrollment of 611 benefitted from a similar donation by Dr Masisi.

Turning to COIVD-19 related issues, she said the pandemic affected the school’s 2020 performance. 

Ms Matlhare said the school was also grappling with water shortage which affected operations and also impacted negatively on observance of COVID-19 protocols. 

Another challenge, she said, was social distancing due to shortage of classroom space. ENDS