26 Sep 2024

Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe is so appreciative of Mbizi initiative that he wants it rolled out countrywide.

Mbizi is a Kalanga word for letsema in Setswana meaning labour pooling, which in this case is aimed at renovating junior secondary schools in the North East District.

Appreciating the Mbizi maintenance of Thamani Junior Secondary School in Tshesebe on Monday, Dr Letsholathebe explained that government’s budget was stretched thin, but the Mbizi initiative had provided the much needed resources to focus on what really mattered.

He said the Mbizi initiative, a community led programme, had been a resounding success focusing on improving the school infrastructure.

Dr Letsholathebe said by involving local communities in the repair and maintenance processes, it had not only reduced the financial burden on the government, but also fostered a sense of ownership and responsibility amongst parents and pupils.

“It is not just the physical improvements that are making a difference. The learners are now more engaged, more enthusiastic about learning in a clean environment, which makes all the difference,” he added.

He said the story of Mbizi, once a symbol of resilience and prosperity in the district, had been threatened by the encroaching sands of time and the dwindling fortunes of the government.

Dr Letsholathebe explained that maintenance of schools was required across the learning institutions but funds had been depleted.

He said though the government was stretched thin, the Mbizi initiative could still restore the legacy to rebuild the schools.

While the Mbizi initiative did not replace the government cycle maintenance of schools, he said it had proved to be more effective than engaging local contractors.

Dr Letsholathebe also explained that Shanganani Junior Secondary School in Tsamaya was undergoing expansion of the hostels to increase enrolment. Earlier on, the coordinator of the project, Mr Michael Moilwa, also underscoring the importance of Mbizi in reducing costs, said the initiative’s work force were brigade students who benefitted by gaining work experience.

“Mbizi utilises brigades as a source of labour, providing students with valuable on-the-job training,” he added.

In her welcome remarks, Thamani JSS school head, Ms Gadzani Christmas appreciated Mbizi initiative, saying through it the school which was a catchment area of five villages of Sechele, Ditladi, Butale, Shashebridge and Senyawe, had managed to refurbish all the hostels and some structures such as classrooms.

Ms Christmas told the minister that challenges included shortage of notebooks and teacher’s accommodation, adding that some teachers commuted from as far as Francistown.

“Out of the 47 teacher, 13 commute from outside the village," she added.

Ms Christmas also indicated that the school had only one printer, which was not good enough.

Ministry of Education and Skills Development, North East regional operations director, Mr Labane Mokgosi said the Mbizi initiative started in 2022 and had proved to be effective, the first beneficiary being Shanganani JSS.

He said Thamani JSS was allocated P1 million towards the initiative to buy building materials and commended the school management for having used the funds appropriately. ENDS