10 Nov 2022

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has commended Dr Ponatshego and Elizabeth Kedikilwe Early Childhood Development Foundation for donating a P330 000 pre-primary classroom block to Sefhophe Primary School.

Handing over the block in Sefhophe yesterday, Dr Masisi said the gesture demonstrated continued and unwavering commitment by the foundation to improve pre-primary education in Botswana.

The donation would go a long way in improving the school’s academic results, he said adding that it was a welcome development anchored in ‘our strong belief as a country in the Public Private Partnership approach to bringing development’.

Dr Masisi said the foundation focused on four major areas of early childhood development and education being health and safety, parental and community mobilisation, building partnerships and networks as well as resource mobilisation.

He noted that the project’s major components included a reception classroom, two major toilets with bathroom for both girls and boys, sickbay and a teacher’s office.

President Masisi revealed that government was working with UNICEF on options to further expand early childhood development and education to enable Botswana to reach all eligible children.

“The earlier we catch them young, the better chances we have for moulding their school-learning readiness and therefore lay a solid basis for our children’s all-rounded development,” the President said.

He said government started implementing the Early Childhood Care and Development Programme in public schools in 2018 following the realisation of its significance as a crucial element in the early cognitive, psycho-social and pyscho-motor development of children.

“It is amazing what children can display and do in pre-school learning environments,” he said.

Dr Masisi said the programme supported the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals in particular the goal stressing inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

He said currently the country had 683 schools offering the one-year reception class programme.

For his part, foundation chairperson Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe said the project was a response to three broad questions posed by Vision 2036 pertaining to the kind of Botswana Batswana wanted to build, the kind of person Motswana wished to be and what should be done to achieve the dreams and aspirations.

The former vice president thanked all those who contributed to the success of the project.

Minister of Education and Skills Development Dr Douglas Letsholathebe said his ministry had many policies in place to improve the quality and access to education citing the Revised National Policy on Education.

Pioneered in 1994 by the Kedikilwe Commission which recommended early childhood development to prepare children for school at a tender age, the initiative had helped improve teaching and learning at primary school level, he said.

 In addition to focusing on imparting knowledge to children while still young, Dr Letsholathebe said the programme also stressed the importance of nutrition and good health explaining that was the reason government always ensured the provision of food at public schools despite budget constraints.

Another speaker, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Mr Kgotla Autlwetse, urged the community to emulate the Kedikilwe Foundation’s efforts to help improve families and communities.

Parents should lay the foundation for their children, he said.

Minister Autlwetse said funds that government would have used for the project would be diverted to another school elsewhere in the country which needed a pre-primary classroom block.

He thanked the Kedikilwe family for helping government to implement the policy and contributing to the development of education in the country. Ends