Wang Bangfu (center), Charge d’Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Botswana, interacts with pupils at Mmopane Primary School, together with school headteacher Gagoitsiwe Marata (COURTESY OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN BOTSWANA)

While the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted education across the world, the impact of school closures has been much worse in developing countries where most pupils lack access to quality education.

It is said that improving access to quality education, particularly in Africa, is the panacea and permanent cure for socio-economic ills on the continent.

According to the Observer Research Foundation, an international policy think tank, there was a learning crisis in Botswana even before COVID-19 shuttered schools, as a third of grade five pupils in 2017 were unable to do basic subtraction and a fifth were unable to read a simple paragraph. This learning crisis is likely worsened by school closures due to the pandemic.

For this reason, in its quest to make education easily accessible to local school-age children, China has embarked on the construction and opening of grant-aided primary school facilities in Botswana, a move that can be seen as a perfect symbol of the blossoming China-Botswana bilateral relations.

Game changer

These state-of-the-art academic facilities have since become a game changer in some parts of Botswana, an initiative that is contributing to the delivery of quality education among local learners in the Southern African country.

“I am happy to see my child, who is attending Mmopane Primary School, has access to modern academic facilities like a computer lab, and is now able to operate a computer with ease. Thanks to the Chinese aid, this gesture will definitely sharpen my child’s academic comprehension,” Melody Mogotsi, a parent from Kweneng District, told ChinAfrica.

Mmopane Primary School, one of the four primary schools to receive grants from China thus far, is a true definition of what quality education means in Botswana. The other three comprise Kubung Primary School, Serowe Primary School and Kazungula Primary School.

The China-aided schools are well furnished with computer labs, science labs, disabled-friendly facilities in areas such as toilets, sick bays, libraries and dining halls, as well as football, basketball, and netball fields.

Lack of adequate investment in educational facilities hampers access to good education, a common trend in Botswana, which compels many children to drop out of school, according to local education experts.

It is believed that dropout rates have decreased in some primary schools. However, in rural areas, the way of life of the communities exacerbates the dropout rate since children may leave school to help their parents during the harvesting and planting seasons. Some may be affected by migratory patterns of semi-nomadic communities, language barriers and economic pressures, especially the boys, while at the secondary school level, teenage pregnancy is a bigger reason for girls to drop out.

Katlego Itumeleng, 15, from Mogoditshane, a small town located on the outskirts of Botswana’s capital Gaborone, intended to study computer science. But lack of a computer at her previous school nearly prevented her from realizing her dream.

Not until Itumeleng was enrolled at Mmopane Primary School did she see light at the end of the tunnel.

“Many thanks to China for this facility [computer lab] at our school as my passion for computer studies will be realized in future,” said Itumeleng.

The new Mmopane Primary School is a turnkey project with 22 classrooms and supporting facilities and buildings. Once completed, the modern school will accommodate over 850 students and will provide a good study environment for young learners in Mmopane and its neighboring communities.

Ketiwe Bonolo, one of the learners at Kubung Primary School located in the suburb of Maun, a town in northwest Botswana, said the fact that the facility is well equipped with a library motivates her to study hard and helps her pass the final exams with ease, unlike other education facilities where a school library is non-existent.

“What inspired me to come and enroll at this school is its well-equipped library with books. I like studying and this will make it easier,” Bonolo added.

Wang Bangfu (second left), Charge d’Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Botswana, delivers masks, T-shirt and children’s books, the embassy donated, to the Mmopane Primary school in support of its fight against COVID-19 and teaching activities (COURTESY OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN BOTSWANA)

Strong support

Kubung Primary School Headmistress Esther Maokisa noted that being on the priority list of Chinese grant-aided schools has helped the facility excel in academic and co-curricular activities, so much so that the school has been considered among the most excellent in the country since 2012.

“This is a beautiful school indeed. We thank the Chinese Embassy for this great initiative they have embarked on to improve education in our beloved country Botswana!” said Maokisa.

She noted that in 2018, for instance, her school scored an average 97.3 percent in the national Primary School Leaving Examination. It scored 75 percent and 83.3 percent in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the teachers and students, with the strong support from the Chinese Embassy and Botswana education authorities, Kubung Primary School has maintained first-class teaching quality and cultivated generations of outstanding students since its establishment.

Arguably, this ambitious initiative is indeed helping enhance the delivery of quality education in Botswana, and if this partnership lasts, China’s grant-aided school legacy in the Southern African country could stretch far beyond its borders.

On October 15, 2019, the ground-breaking ceremony for Kazungula Primary School was held in north Botswana’s Kasane Town. It is the fourth primary school project aided by the Chinese Government. Upon completion, the school is expected to host 560 students and is anticipated to improve local education.

Recently, Charge d’Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Botswana Wang Bangfu paid a visit to Mmopane Primary School and urged the students to study hard and make good use of their time in the new classrooms.

Meanwhile, Mmopane Primary School headteacher Gagoitsiwe Marata expressed her gratitude for China’s assistance in building such a beautiful school and pledged full utilization of the facilities to provide excellent education service for the local community.

The embassy also donated a batch of masks, T-shirts and children’s books to the school in support of its fight against COVID-19 and teaching activities.

Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Wang Xuefeng said that the Chinese grant-aided schools represent the bilateral cooperation on basic education, manifesting the China-Africa community with a shared future.

The Chinese envoy stressed that as the development of China-Botswana relations has entered a fast lane, there will be new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the field of education. China will assist Botswana with more schools, government scholarships and more exchanges with the Ministry of Basic Education.

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