28 Jul 2022

Government is committed to transforming education system through facilitating private sector participation in providing a conducive teaching and learning environment at 758 schools across the country.

Speaking during handing over of digital equipment by Orange Digital School Project to Joseph Anderson Primary School in Selebi Phikwe Friday, Assistant Minister of Local Government, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele said adoption of new strategies on digital inclusion would help accelerate the pace at which the nation delivered on Sustainable Development Goals especially with regard to bridging the digital divide.

The project, which is a partnership between government and Orange Botswana seeks to facilitate lifelong learning by providing educational content in a digital format using modern technology to adequately resource learners and ensure inclusive learning in a modern classroom, targeting children with special needs and people with disability at primary schools across the country.

Through partnership with corporate entities like Orange Botswana, Mr Modukanele said, government was working tirelessly to fast-track the digitalisation of primary schools to resource, facilitate learning in a modern classroom and to create a true 21st century learner.

“Our collaborative efforts will inculcate an inclusive learning environment, especially for children with special needs such as those with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in line with the ideals of Vision 2036 of achieving access to quality education, thus contributing towards human capital development not only in Selebi Phikwe but also for the national economy,” he said.

Mr Modukanele who is also Lerala/Maunatlala  MP commended Orange Botswana for demonstrating commitment to the development of the Selebi Phikwe community through response to needs of the school in the area of digital transformation, to give hope and secure the future of learners who continued to defy all odds and record excellent school performance every year.

He encouraged the school management to leverage on this learning tool and acquire requisite skills, which would ultimately support the national strategy and propel the nation to another level of human capital development.

Orange Botswana Chief Executive Officer, Ms Nene Maiga said the project was an investment into the future to make it possible for children to access technology. She said

Orange foundation in partnership with government had embarked on a quest to empower and educate the young minds by giving them better access to technology.

“This will later give them better access to education and then better access to jobs and opportunities in future,’ she said.

She said it was a true testament of Orange Botswana to invest in future and ensure that technology was available for everyone in the country.

The project Ms Maiga said was about utilisation and integration of ICTs in learning while at the same time addressing issues of digital divide by leveraging technology to improve access to education in primary schools.

Through this project, she said Orange Botswana donated 50 tablets, 50 headsets, one projector, two servers, one speaker and one laptop to Joseph Anderson primary school adding that so far her company donated 2500 tablets and headsets, 50 projects and projector screens, and more than a 100 servers.

“This is something we will continue to do more in the future. This is the 50th school to benefit countrywide and the 6th in the SPEDU region,” she said.
She said this would empower children to know how to use technology and understand it as technology was a driving force of tomorrow.

The area MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse thanked Orange Botswana, Selebi Phikwe Town Council, Joseph Anderson primary school, Parents Teacher Associations and the community of Selebi Phikwe for the wonderful job they were doing in bringing outstanding academic results.

He said the donation would go a long way to improve academic results and prepare pupils for the fourth Industrial Revolution which was more than just technology driven but an opportunity to help everyone including policy makers, learners to harness technologies to create an inclusive and human centred future.

He urged the school to continue working hard to maintain an outstanding performance, adding that his office introduced a floating trophy to encourage competition amongst schools in Selebi Phikwe which Joseph Anderson had won for the second time since inception of the initiative. ENDS