06 Jun 2021

Teachers have been credited with saving the 2020 academic year.

Addressing teachers during National Teachers Day commemoration on Friday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said through their sacrifices and that of support staff, the academic year was salvaged.

“You saved our education system at a time when some countries lost the academic year to the pandemic,” he said.

Regarding teachers’ welfare, President Masisi said it was vital to the success of any education system.

He said it was therefore government’s objective to create a favourable environment in which teachers and learners could succeed.

President Masisi said through digitization, a government priority,  barriers to teaching and learning would be removed.

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT), he said, would enhance interactions between teachers and learners as well as bring the globe into a classroom setting.

President Masisi informed his audience that government was working with stakeholders to provide schools with internet connectivity, WIFI and electricity.

He said currently 38 per cent or 287 primary schools had connectivity while an additional 203 would be connected during the current financial year.

Additionally, President Masisi said mobile ICT laboratories consisting of 50 devices in a charging station had been issued to 325 primary schools.

Most schools were already connected to the Internet and government was working on increasing bandwidth from 1-10 Mbps to 60-100 Mbps, he said.

Dr Masisi further said government would provide mobile devices to all teachers and learners at senior school level this financial year, junior secondary schools in the next and primary schools in 2023/24.

President Masisi assured his listeners that teachers and other frontline workers who played an important role in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission would be vaccinated as a priority.

He said government would roll out a successful and timely vaccination programme to curb the disease impact on the community, teachers included.

The President encouraged teachers to live up to the expectations of their profession because children looked up to them.

“Your role as community builders confers upon you the responsibility to protect our youngsters from violence, abuse and exploitation,” he said.

President congratulated 174 teachers who received awards in the meritorious long service, silver jubilee and mid-career categories in recognition of their outstanding performance. Ends