It’s all systems go for the construction of a two classroom block at Eretsha Primary school in the eastern panhandle- and thanks to Children in The Wilderness (CITW) Botswana, a non-profit entity under tour operator – Okavango Wilderness Safaris. This follows the much anticipated ground breaking ceremony held at the school recently.
Further, to the classroom block, CITW also pledged an ablution block and also a fence for the school.
Okavango Wilderness Safaris stakeholder manager Moalosi Lebekwe, has said as a company born and bred in Botswana, they have built a strong connection with local communities in and around their areas of operation since they started. He said that is this reason that they saw the need to expand the school for children in Eretsha.
Lebekwe added that they were also motivated by the fact that the school had more than 200 pupils yet it only had one block with 2 classrooms. He further revealed that Eretsha tribal leader Kgosi Boitshwarelo Mosenyegi pleaded with OWS to assist in expanding the school to accommodate all the learners, to reduce over-crowding.
He said as the funders, they are fully guided by North West District council on the plan and design of the classroom block, which they are currently waiting for in order for construction project to begin. Lebekwe said that they are also ceased with identifying the right contractor to work with on the project, adding that when all that is finalised, construction will commence.
Meanwhile Kgosi Mosenyegi said that due to the shortage of classrooms, some classes are taught under trees, a worrying trend as learning is disrupted during harsh weather conditions.
“This was very disturbing to both the pupils and their parents, furthermore parents worry a lot about the children’s future as their learning environment is not pleasant,” he added.
According to Mosenyegi, currently the school has no head teacher, head of department let alone a single permanent teacher. This he said has led to a situation where children are taught by temporary teachers.
