06 Apr 2025

Following some concerns from residents over the terrible state of Makalamabedi Junior Secondary School, Vice President and also Minister of Finance Mr Ndaba Gaolathe paid a visit to the school to appreciate the situation.

Makalamabedi residents voiced their concerns during a kgotla meeting that Mr Gaolathe addressed yesterday, calling on government to prioritise maintenance of the school. The school, which has boarding facilities, they said, never got maintained since its opening in 1991. They said the buildings were now dilapidated, arguing that learners stood no chance of excelling under such circumstances.

Furthermore, they decried that hostels were overpopulated with no doors and window panes, and that the pupils suffered from shortage of mattresses and poor hygiene. The residents said they had long complained about the state of the school and hoped the matter would be urgently attended.

The school, situated in Boteti region, has an enrolment of 704 pupils, 484 of whom are boarders mostly from the North West District. The capacity of both female and male hostels is 96 each, but currently, 262 girls and 222 boys are accommodated in the hostels.

“The environment is not conducive for learning and if government cannot come up with a short term measure then the school should be temporarily closed,” said one of the residents, Ms Gaothobogwe Fanabe advocating for speedy maintenance of at least the ablution blocks at school.

The school, she said was operating under unfavourable condition, which posed a risk to learners, noting that it needed thorough maintenance. Ms Fanabe, who is also the former Parents and Teachers Association chairperson, also requested the school to be administered by the North West District, given that a large portion of its learners were from the region.

Village Development Committee member, Mr Lebogang Kelebang also raised a concern about the poor state of the school, calling for urgent attention. For the school to up academic performance, he said pupils and teachers needed a conducive teaching and learning environment. Moreover, he proposed for construction of a new junior school in the North West region, saying it could be a solution to the current situation, adding that at times, the school also faced shortage of food.

For his part, Mr Gaolathe said it was disturbing to learn that since its construction, the school had never undergone maintenance. The issue will be looked into with relevant authorities, he said.

On other issues, he informed residents that efforts were ongoing to revive the economy and focus on sustainable developmental projects aimed to improve the livelihoods of Batswana through job creation.

The government, he said, was forging collaboration and luring reliable investors to come to invest in the country and eventually stimulate employment opportunities. Mr Gaolathe also highlighted that the North West region had great potential of growing the economy with mineral resources such as copper.

“We want to turn Botswana into a financial hub in which we bring different financial services under one roof and provide a cohesive user experience. Other countries the size of Botswana are advanced in transforming their economies,” he added.

Mr Gaolathe said some small and medium enterprises had been decrying lack of access to financial assistance and believed that the financial hub could be the answer. ENDS