07 Sep 2023

Bank of Baroda (Botswana) has donated educational equipment worth P100 000 to Sedumedi Junior Secondary School.

The educational equipment included a duplication machine, printer, laboratory stools, desktop computer, laptop, sewing machine, beehive boxes and filing cabinets.

Speaking at the handover ceremony of the equipment on Wednesday, Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said the school head approached him some months back lamenting lack of educational equipment.

“It therefore follows that we are here today. Bank of Baroda has heeded our clarion call to support Sedumedi Junior Secondary School. 

The bank has assured me that children’s education is one of their key priority areas in their corporate social responsibility,” said the minister.

Mr Morwaeng, who is also Member of Parliament for Molepolole South, thanked Bank of Baroda for their child-centric corporate social responsibility.

“By extension this appreciation is also directed to the government of India, a major shareholder of the Bank of Baroda. 

This is clear demonstration of the strong ties between Botswana and India and a further appreciation to the government of India is most apt for their generous academic scholarships offered to Batswana students,” he said.

For his part, High Commissioner of India to Botswana, Mr Bharat Kuthati commended the bank for making a meaningful difference to the lives of learners at Sedumedi.

Mr Kuthati said the bank started its operations in 2001 and continued to strive for excellence.

He added that their CSR activities signified the importance of corporate citizenship, hence the bank’s dedication to the wellbeing and development of the community it served.

“Our actions speak volumes of the valuable contribution beyond our normal business. 

Botswana and India share close and tender relations as both are beacons of democracy, rule of law and peace,” he said.

He added that since independence, the two countries had been walking shoulder to shoulder and India had contributed immensely to the social development of Botswana.

Bank of Baroda managing director, Mr Sanjay Joshi said the donation dominantly displayed their commitment to education and community development.

He said Sedumedi had been a focal point of the bank’s CSR initiatives and had consistently strived to uplift educational standards and provide a conducive environment for learning.

“We are committed to making a meaningful difference in Botswana’s educational landscape,” Mr Joshi said.

The bank’s board of directors representative, Mr Shathiso Nlebgwa said CSR was one of their annual plan because they wanted to remain relevant in the community they operated in and have positive impact in the society.

Mr Nlebgwa said in the past 23 years of the existence of the bank in Botswana, they had made several CSR initiatives to various communities, among them the disabled, disadvantaged as well as orphanages.

“We believe that education should take place in a conducive environment, hence our donation to Sedumedi JSS,” he said.

Thus, he encouraged learners to utilise the educational equipment and take good care of it.

He implored other companies to assist those in need in the community because government could not do it alone.

In her welcome remarks earlier, Sedumedi deputy school head, Ms Sandra Setshegetso said they were faced with many challenges, among them lack of water and shortage of classrooms.

Ms Setshegetso also indicated that the school had not been performing well, but would strive to do well in the next junior certificate examinations. ENDS