28 Apr 2024

Minister of Education and Skills Development Dr Douglas Letsholathebe has appreciated an initiative dubbed Mbizi which seeks to address maintenance of schools in the North East District.

Mbizi initiative, launched Saturday at Matsiloje Junior Secondary School is a Kalanga word meaning Letsema in Setswana or labour pooling.

Through the initiative, residents from catchment villages of Matsiloje, Matshelagabedi, Matopi and Patayamatebele have joined the school community to maintain schools' facilities in the district.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Letsholathebe acknowledged that the maintenance cycle of schools across the country had been overtaken by time.

He also expressed concern at the ever increasing cost of education in Botswana and highlighted the need for more sustainable solutions to maintain schools across the country.

He added that most of the schools were in a dilapidated situation and required full maintenance at huge costs.

He stressed the importance of adopting a fresh perspective to address the problem of schools maintenance.

He urged stakeholders to collaborate and explore new strategies to reduce the financial burden on government.

“The challenge of maintaining our schools has become too onerous for government to manage alone. It is time to think outside the box and find innovative, cost-effective solutions that will ensure our children continue to receive quality education,” said Dr Letsholathebe.

On other issues, he appealed to the school management to ensure that the school property was protected from vandalism by students.

Director of Education (Operations) in the North East district, Mr Labane Mokgosi praised the initiative and said it would mitigate  the high cost of maintaining  schools.

He said for Matsiloje Junior Secondary School, the initiative had resulted in a significant reduction in the cost of maintenance.

“Thanks to Letsema initiative, the total cost of maintaining Matsiloje junior secondary has decreased from over P7 million to less than P2 million. This is a great example of how strategic partnerships can help us optimise resources and improve educational outcomes,” he said.

Mr Mokgosi said Mbizi initiative, which was implemented in 2022 at Shanganani Junior Secondary School in Tsamaya, represented a promising example of how the community, including brigades and other stakeholders, could work together to breathe new life into school infrastructure.

“The community came together at Shanganani junior secondary to repair chairs and by collaborating and pooling resources, we were able to extend the useful life of these chairs and reduce waste,” said Mr Mokgosi.

He praised Kgosi Simon Segopa for his leadership and generosity in the project.

“His donation of a beast for communal feasting during the project showed appreciation for the hard work and dedication of those involved and his actions set a positive example for others to follow,” said Mr Mokgosi.

For his part, Kgosi Segopa shared with the minister how the community had taken it upon themselves to clear overgrown bush that had enveloped the school.

“The bush had reached such a state that classrooms could hardly be discerned from the staff housing,” he said.

Kgosi Segopa implored parents to work in tandem with the school management to support their children’s education.

He said educating children was a collaborative effort that required active involvement and support of parents, in addition to the tireless efforts of the educators.

Matsiloje Councillor, Ms Florah Mpetsane also urged parents to engage with the school and offer assistance where possible to build the future for their children. Ends