05 Dec 2021

The World Group of Companies has donated school uniform to over 500 pupils and 92 blankets to staff at Phutisutlha Primary School in Kanye. 

Each uniform package comprised shoes, two pairs of socks, jersey, two shirts, set of three underwear, two trousers for boys, a skirt and dress for girls.

Officiating at the handing over ceremony recently, Kanye South MP, Dr Lemogang Kwape, commended the company for heeding the call to restore dignity on the learners, despite the devastating effects of COVID-19 on businesses. 

He said the donation would contribute towards improving school performance and developing future leaders.

Dr Kwape, also Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, underscored the need to close disparities between learners who came from different backgrounds. 

He said pupils who did not have full proper school uniform were likely to have low confidence and lose focus on their studies.

He further said government recognised the importance of education to both learners and country’s development. 

Dr Kwape said despite  high umemployment, government continued to emphasise quality education for citizens to give them an opportunity to compete globally with the skills acquired. 

He said as a country that strived for a skills-based economy, Botswana’s aim was to produce competitive graduates who could not only import their skills but also contribute towards creating employment for others.

He applauded Phutisutlha Primary School for aiming high in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results. 

He said the donation would go a long way in motivating learners to do better in their academic performance.

“We are grateful that the company honoured their promise to hand over the donation before the end of this year and I therefore challenge the school community to work towards improved results next year,” he said.

A representative of the World Group of Companies, Ms Kgomotso Chikanda, noted that the donation was intended to promote equality among pupils and close disparities created by social backgrounds. Such gaps, she said, did not only affect learners’ confidence but also impacted negatively on their school performance.

She said in anticipation for transfer-ins for next year, they had exceeded the school’s enrolment of 562 to cater for potential new comers. 

She further said the company further donated footballs and netballs for both learners and staff members as a way of promoting extra-curricular activities in schools.

For his part, the school head, Mr Thatayaone Sefiw,a said they were grateful for the donation, which he said would motivate the pupils to perform better next year. 

He promised that the school community would work hard to achieve over 90 per cent ABC pass in the next PSLE.

However, Mr Sefiwa decried poor attendance by pupils, citing long distance between the school and its catchment areas. 

He noted that the school management had collaborated with the community and other stakeholders to address this challenge. 

“We managed to secure donkey carts to transport learners who travel long distances to school. We have also established an education committee which is responsible for tracing absconding pupils and bringing them back from cattleposts,”he explained.

He further noted that there were shortage of classrooms, especially for the reception class which was currently taking advantage of the shifting by upper classes in response to COVID-19 protocols. 

He said there was need for a reception classroom for continuous and uninterrupted learning. ends