LEARNING IN PAIN

In the heart of Botswana’s tourism capital, where wildlife thrives and tourists flood in for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, the children of the North West are quietly suffering.For Kegodile Mahudinga, the Acting Director of Regional Operations in the Ministry of Education, the daily reality in the region’s schools is deeply painful.What breaks his heart the most is seeing children sitting on the floor to learn.“In many of our schools, there is simply no furniture. Imagine trying to concentrate on learning while seated on cold concrete or dusty ground,” he said.The situation worsens in boarding schools, which are overrun by enrolments.Built only to accommodate 500-600 learners, many of the schools house up to 1,200 children.The impact is devastating.Overflowing sewage from aged, dilapidated drainage systems floods school grounds, putting children’s health at serious risk.“Our children are learning in places that compromise their dignity and well-being,” Mahudinga states. “The infrastructure was never meant for these numbers.”Water, one of life’s most necessary resources, is also a luxury in many North West villages like Tsao and Sehithwa.“Our teachers can go for a whole week without a drop of water,” Mahudinga lamented. “We have to bowse for them. It is demoralising. Who can teach effectively under those conditions?”The overcrowding is not just in classrooms; it extends to staff living quarters, worsening morale and performance.Teachers are cramped in tiny homes. Some couples, along with their children and siblings, are forced to share two-bedroom houses.Academically, the region struggles.Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) pass rates average between 60 and 66 percent, while secondary school results linger at a low 20 to 25 percent.Nationally, the North West moves between positions eight and nine out of 10 – a pattern that has not improved in nearly a decade.But behind those numbers lie stories of hardships.Students who live on the outskirts of Maun are seen in the mornings walking a distance of 10 kilometres or more to school every day, arriving too exhausted to concentrate.In places like Sitatunga and Matlapana, children trek to Maitlamo Junior Secondary Schools situated in Sedie ward, Maun, before sunrise.Another headache is that in Shakawe, dropout and truancy rates are high.“This is a tourism region,” Mahudinga explained. “Many parents work in the delta and leave their children behind. They grow up alone. Without guidance, many lose their way.”With 75 primary schools, 13 junior secondary schools, two senior schools, and six satellite institutions, the North West region needs more than empty promises. It needs urgent action.“We know what the issues are; if wishes were horses, we would solve them all today. But our children cannot wait much longer; we need help,” Mahudinga cried.

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LEARNING IN PAIN