12 Aug 2026

Vice President Mr Gaolathe urged pupils at Maikano Junior Secondary School to begin building their futures now, telling them not to wait until secondary school or university to decide who they want to become.

Addressing the school assembly, Mr Gaolathe reflected on his own time in Standard One and said it was remarkable how quickly years had passed from being a young schoolboy to standing before them as Vice President of Botswana.

“His story, he said,  was proof that the future can arrive faster than children imagine,” he said.

Mr Gaolathe told the pupils that dreaming was not just a childhood exercise, but the beginning of a journey. While in Standard One, he said he dreamed of studying outside Botswana at a time when such an ambition felt distant.  

He recalled that his uncle, who was studying Computer Science in Canada, had given him and his classmates a glimpse of possibilities beyond the country’s borders. At the time, some classmates doubted it.  

Years later, he said, every one of those friends achieved their dream of studying abroad. His own path took him to the United States, where he studied Mathematics and Economics, lived in Washington, D.C., and later studied Finance in Philadelphia before working for an investment bank in New York City.

Yet he told pupils his story was not to suggest he had reached the highest point.  

“You can do better than me. Much better. You can go higher than I can ever go,” he said, challenging them not to measure their potential against those who came before.

The Vice President stressed that dreams must be protected through hard work, discipline and determination, and that pupils should resist those who say their ambitions are too big.

He said success was built not only on academic achievement, but also on character. Using the eagle as an example, he encouraged pupils to aim high while lifting others.  

He urged them not to ridicule classmates struggling with Mathematics, History or English, but to help one another.  

“Do not climb alone. Pull one another up,” he said.

Mr Gaolathe also called on pupils to respect parents and teachers, and to ask questions of people they admire to learn about the challenges and decisions behind their success. He paid tribute to teachers for their role in “building, grooming and shaping young lives.”

The assembly ended with a collective affirmation led by the Vice President:  

“We are going to work hard. We are going to dream big. We are going to become great men and great women. We are going to respect our teachers. We are going to respect our parents.”

Maikano JSS Student Representative Council President Chantel Onneile thanked the Vice President for donating books to the school, describing them as more than learning materials.  

A Form Two pupil, House Cheetah member and chairperson of the Gaborone District Children’s Consulting Forum, Onneile said the books would help pupils “learn, dream and understand the world around them.”  

“A book is not only writing on paper, but it is an embodiment of knowledge and power,” she said.  

She challenged fellow pupils to use the books to prepare themselves not only as leaders of tomorrow but also as leaders of today.

By the end of the assembly, Maikano JSS had witnessed more than a visit from a senior government official. It had seen a man who once sat in a classroom dreaming of studying abroad return to tell another generation that their dreams were worth protecting. ENDS