29 Jan 2025

Member of Parliament for Maun North constituency, Mr Dumelang Saleshando has called on parents to prioritise their children’s education in a bid to nurture a future generation that is empowered to bring a positive impact to the society. 

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Sankoyo on Tuesday, he said it was worrisome that the majority of schools in the Ngamiland region were underperforming and urged parents to collaborate with teachers and other stakeholders to achieve better outcomes. 

Mr Saleshando said education was the best investment that parents could offer to their children and therefore implored the community to play their role to ensure children had a bright future. 

He noted that Sankoyo Primary School had been performing exceptionally well academically in the Primary Leaving School Education (PLSE), but the last pass rate had drastically declined as the school scored 58% down from 80%.

Mr Saleshando also decried that some primary schools were performing well but results changed when children went junior schools. 

“As parents we should continue with the spirit of supporting our children’s education, which is the greatest investment that can shape the young generation. I believe every parent wants to see his/her children excelling and significantly contribute to their families as well as the society,” he added. 

He, however, vowed his commitment to do all in his power to turn things around indicating that education has the power to transform one’s entire life. 

He also said during his tenure at the Maun West constituency, he ensured that the bulk of the constituency community funds was channelled towards education. 

Through the funding, Mr Saleshando pointed out that they managed to construct technology laboratories in some primary schools such as Botswelelo and Komana, among others, to enhance the pupils’ computer literacy. 

On other issues, the area MP encouraged residents to prioritise their health by actively seeking medical care and making conscious choices regarding their wellbeing. 

Mr Saleshando expressed a worry that some diseases were termed silent killers as they could not easily be detected hence the need to make health a top priority. 

Furthermore, he challenged men to develop a habit of undergoing health screening warning that prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer diagnosed in men. 

“Early detection and preventative health measures can help obtain good health and enable spending more time with your families and loved ones. 

This year, on May 29, I promise to organise an outreach health campaign in Maun which will bring together different health specialists to conduct screening to all,” he said. 

He urged the community at large to take advantage of the initiative, which he said would give them an opportunity to consult private practitioners at no cost. 

The intention, he said, was to extend the medical outreach initiative to small villages for the community to access services closer appreciating that the government health facilities are overwhelmed. 

Giving an overview of developments and issues in the area, the Village Development Committee chairperson, Mr Kobamelo Simalumba, decried shortage of teachers’ accommodation and that the primary school buildings are old and need major maintenance. 

He also called for the upgrading of the Health Post saying they want a fully-fledged clinic with a maternity wing to save expectant mothers from travelling long distances to Maun. 

He appreciated that one of their investors, Tamog Safari Company, renovated the clinic in 2022 to promote health and wellbeing of the community. 

“Following reports of the appalling state of the facility characterised by a foul smell due to bat infestation and falling cellings, our investor came to our rescue because he was of the view that primary health care is paramount,” he added. 

The village chief, Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi, called on the community to work as a team together with the area MP, councillors and other stakeholders to drive developments in the area, which he said was faced with a lot of challenges. 

He also called for the upgrading of the Shorobe-Mababe road saying it could help to open opportunities for developments. ENDS