17 Mar 2026

Government has set up an Education Infrastructure and Management Company, entrusted with maintenance of all government schools.

According to Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Ms Nono Kgafela-Mokoka, the company, which would be run by a board, had already hit the ground running to mobilise resources, solicit investment and to strike partnerships for schools’ maintenance and was expected to begin works in June.

Ms Kgafela-Mokoka said this when addressing Lobatse Senior Secondary School teachers and non-teaching staff on Monday.

She said ministry was inundated with dilapidated school infrastructure and irregularly maintained schools, hence the formation of a company to take care of school’s maintenance and build teachers accommodation facilities.

While government operated on a tight budget, she said it would consider expansion of classrooms to cater for absorption of more learners as well as create more employment opportunities for teachers and non-teaching staff.

Thus, she said teachers must brace themselves for the work ahead as all learners, who had attained Grade D in the Junior Certificate Education, would be absorbed in the mainstream education system.

She highlighted that the move would pose challenges to the learner teacher ratio, adding that a framework had been put in place on how they would be absorbed into the mainstream education bearing in mind that the country did not have enough senior secondary schools currently having only 34 in existence.

Furthermore, Minister Kgafela-Mokoka reminded teachers and non-teaching staff that government was working round the clock to digitalise the education system to improve efficiencies as well as monitor learners work in real time.

She underscored that to augment shortage of resources; there would be dashboards in offices where digitalisation would enable borderless classrooms, adding that teachers would also be empowered online with continuous on the job learning to keep them refined in skill and delivery aptitude

The minister further expressed concern at the low turnout of teacher registration, saying the initiative was an important resource tool, which would be used to allow teachers to do their job locally and internationally.

She reminded teachers that they had two weeks to register adding that the ministry was in talks with a number of countries to export teachers.

Briefing the minister, Lobatse Senior Secondary School head, Mr Tonny Tautona said the school had 172 staff complement of which 120 were teachers on permanent and pensionable basis supported by seven temporary teachers while the non-teaching staff was 41 permanent and pensionable staff and four temporary employees. He said learners were 1 510 leaners of which 579 males were males while the females were 931.

He said while the school was committed to academic excellence, in 2022 the school achieved 14.11 per cent followed by 17.52 per cent in 2023 and was placed at position 21 nationally amongst the senior schools.

In 2024, he said the school recorded 17.99 per cent moving slightly up to position 19 in comparison with other senior schools. He expressed optimism that the school had an experienced and dedicated team who were aiming to be counted amongst the top 10 schools in the upcoming results.

On the school’s challenges, he said they were faced with dilapidated infrastructure, sewerage and drainage, shortage of staff houses, adding that the school required regular maintenance.

In addition, Mr Tautona said the school lacked Internet connectivity as the SmartBots connection was disconnected due to electrical faults and the problem had affected teaching and learning, research and administrative work. ENDS