04 Oct 2023

Lucara Diamond Mine pride itself in the major role it plays with regard to supporting the educational sector in Botswana, the mine’s Human Resource Superintendent, Ms Constance Rakesiilwe, has said.

Speaking at the 18 prize giving ceremony of Eastern Gate Academy in Francistown Thursday, Ms Rakesiilwe said the company had adopted ten out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the 2030 United Nations Agenda, which was quality education.

Ms Rakesiilwe said every year, the company sponsor students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for all the junior secondary schools in Boteti.

She said the company had also donated equipment ranging from printers, home economics equipment, books, and agriculture equipment to different schools across Botswana.

She commended parents, teachers and students of Eastern Gate Academy for the great work they were doing in keeping a good record of excellence for the past four years which was above 80 per cent.

She said these results were a reflection of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution by both the parents, the teachers and the students.

Ms Rakesiilwe said teaching was a challenging profession that called for someone with passion and love for children.

She however said despite the challenges faced by the school such as lack inadequate accommodation facilities for boarders and insufficient sports facilities, teachers still did their work with distinction.

“We appreciate your hard work of shaping young minds to become responsible adults and leaders of this beautiful nation,” she said.

In his welcome remarks, the school principal, Dr Keene Kurusa, said their school was an epitome of excellence.

Dr Kurusa said the school had enjoyed five years of excellence by maintaining a general pass rate of more than 80 percent since it’s inception in 2009 in International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).

He said in 2013, the school toped the whole world in agriculture while in 2019 it topped the whole country in double sciences.

He said in 2020, the school topped the country again in double sciences and design and technology.

Whilst in 2021 and 2022 the school toped the country in religious studies and in Setswana and Design and Technology respectively.

The principal further said the school also did sporting activities such as athletics and ball sports.

However, Dr Kurusa said the school was faced with several challenges, chiefly lack of infrastructure especially boarding hostels.

The other challenge, he said, was lack of a spacious multipurpose hall to accommodate more students.

Nonetheless, Dr Kurusa said the school made a major breakthrough in constructing a state of the art swimming pool which was the second best in Botswana after that of the University of Botswana.

The ceremony was held under the theme “Excellence is never an accident,” and 193 students were awarded in different academic and non-academic disciplines.

Started in 2006, the school is owned by Seventh Day Adventist Church and accredited by Cambridge Assessment International Education. It is a high schools which also had a primary education as well as A Levels. The school also offers  Christian Education. Ends