Japanese goverment donates classroom block to Serameng primary school

The Japanese government   this week officially handed   over a new classroom block at Serameng Primary School in the Kweneng district.

The Japanese government financed the project to the   tune   of over P800 000 after signing a grant contract with the Mogoditshane/Thamaga Sub District Council for the construction of two classrooms at Serameng primary school in Metsimotlhabe.

Addressing students, teachers and government officials at the handing over ceremony this week, Japanese ambassador H.E Masahiro Onishi said the project was financed through the Japanese Government’s grant Scheme, called, ‘Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects’.

“This is the 43rd project among the total of 47 projects that our Embassy has assisted under this grant scheme in Botswana since 1997,” Onishi said.
“According to the recent statistics, the primary school enrolment rate is more than 90% in Botswana. I believe it shows how the government of Botswana has considered basic education as one of the priority areas since its independence.

It is certain that the intensive dedication of the government to education has brought not only an increase of access to primary education, but also the remarkable development of the country in the last 50 years.” 

Moreover, Onishi said it is important to enhance the quality of education to secure high rate of enrolment. “And in this regard, I am pleased that the assistance from Japanese government has been contributing to improve the quality of basic education through construction of classrooms, pre-primary school facilities etc. To take this opportunity, I would like to extend appreciation to the continuous support dedicated to us form the Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development.” 

Moreover Onishi highlighted that fact that some students at Serameng Primary School did not have their own rooms for learning. “I myself visited this school in 2014 and saw many children studying under the trees outside. After that our embassy and the sub-district started to talk about the construction of this new classroom.”

Speaking during the same occasion the Assistant Minister of Basic Education Moiseraele Goya said one of the biggest stumbling blocks to provision of quality education is lack of provision of sufficient critical inputs, which   include classrooms. “Inadequate teaching stations cause some of the classes to receive instruction in an   open space. The alternative is squeezing of too many students in the existing classroom particularly   in time of bad weather when teaching outside cannot be possible,” he said.