19 Feb 2025

Palms for Life Fund officially launched its BGCSE 2025 sponsorship programme in Maun on Monday.

The initiative provides 20 learners from remote areas, who previously faced setbacks in their examinations, with a second chance to succeed.

Speaking at the launch, Palms for Life Fund regional programme manager, Mr Galefele Maokeng, said each learner selected for the programme would receive comprehensive support, including accommodation, meals and access to academic resources at Dajura Tutorial Academy throughout the year.

“Our mandate is to support the government’s Remote Area Development Programme because statistics show that learners in remote areas are the ones under performing across academic levels hence the need for intervention,” he said.

Mr Maokeng said the targeted pass rate was 80 per cent for all enrolled learners and further announced that in 2024 the organisation had sponsored 40 pupils in their JCE and BGCSE.

“Education is a fundamental right, and we believe that every child deserves a chance to realise their potential,” he said.

Delivering the keynote address, NWDC chief social and community development officer, Ms Itumeleng Motsumi, advised the selected learners to work hard and turn their fortunes around.

“By providing them with the necessary resources and support, we aim to break the cycle of failure and open doors to new opportunities,” she said.

For his part, Dajura Tutorial Academy general manager, Mr Nyaladzi Dagwi said the selected learners, all hailing from remote regions of Botswana, had demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity, with many having faced significant barriers to their educational journey.

“Our tutoring strategy is very simple but quite effective as the first thing that we look into is discipline for both our tutors and learners to foster seamless transition. We also do continuous assessment of pupils to give them exposure,” he said.

He said Dajura Tutorial Academy would serve as the foundation for the learners’ renewed academic journey as the institution was committed to foster a nurturing and motivating environment aligned with the goals of the Palms for Life Fund.

One of the  beneficiaries, Botshao Duxwa, from West Hanahai said she was grateful to have received the sponsorship, an opportunity for her to retake her secondary examinations after the previous setbacks.

“Failing those exams felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders, but Palms for Life Fund has restored my faith in my abilities,” she said.

She implored others who had not done well to try again and also encouraged those who would be writing their BGCSE this year to put on extra effort so as to attain academic excellence. ENDS