20 Mar 2022

Kutlwano Junior Secondary School is operating above capacity.

However, Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr Aubrey Lesaso, told Parliament, on behalf of basic education minister, that a contract had been awarded for erection of two fabricated classrooms to alleviate the situation.

Mr Lesaso also indicated that any further expansion of the school would be considered under NDP 12.

He added that currently, there were no plans to provide boarding facilities to cater for learners from neighbouring villages such as Zoroga and Tsokatshaa as they were provided for at Nxakato JSS in Sowa Town and Sowa JSS in Nata.

“The ministry will make proposal under NDP 12 for additional boarding facilities and Kutlwano JSS will also be considered,” he said, adding that the school was not currently scheduled for maintenance.

However, he said there were funds dispersed on an annual basis to schools for basic maintenance and for the 2021/22 financial year, the budget for maintenance was over P139 000, out of which P110 000 had been spent.

Mr Lesaso said the school would be considered under NDP 12 for cyclic maintenance.

He also acknowledged that some teachers at Kutlwano JSS were staying in asbestos houses.

To that, he said the ministry engaged Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) to test samples from the staff houses and three tested positive for the mineral.

“BOBS is still assessing this problem so that we can engage the contractor to safely remove the asbestos,” he said.

He further indicated that the ministry had recommended that houses that had tested positive should not be used.

MP for Nata/Gweta, Mr Polson Majaga, had asked the minister to update Parliament about the future of Kutlwano JSS regarding its expansion from 12 to 14 streams.

Mr Majaga also wanted to know if there was any provision of a boarding facility to cater for learners from neighbouring villages as well as plans to maintain the school.

The MP also argued that the asbestos houses that teachers stayed in were a health hazard. ENDS