BOSETU drives teachers towards economic emancipation
Correspondent | Tuesday March 22, 2022 06:00
The call was made by different stakeholders at BOSETU Business Day hosted by the Boteti region last weekend. The speakers also reminded teachers that their work environment has prepared them to work with clients of different characters in the market.
The event was themed ‘Cultivating a corporate mindset and nurturing business skills on BOSETU membership’.
Regional manager for the Francistown office, Innocent Monyadzwe said the day was an opportunity for BOSETU members to understand the business environment.
“You interact and manage learners with different behaviours and attitudes. The same way you deal with those learners (moulding them, building trust between them and you, making them understand your subject and making them look forward to your classes), is the same way you will interact with customers and clients. In business, you need to understand your customers, know how to retain them, package your service and products to attract customers, as well as know how to deal with customer complaints,” he said.
“In business, you need to forge partnerships with the stakeholders who will help your business to grow as there are many challenges one has to go through to succeed.”
Reiterating Monyadzwe’s remarks, chairperson of Boteti region, Rakkie Kelesamile said teachers in the region should take advantage of the presence of the four mines in the district.
“As teachers, let us think of value-adding activities that the mines could use. Let’s venture into supplies, real estate and transport services,” he advised.
Kelesamile called on the mines to help in local empowerment initiatives and developments in the Boteti community.
“Mines should work in the community and infrastructural development. There is nothing in Boteti that signifies it as a mining town.” He, however, commended Lucara Diamond for its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives locally and nationally and called upon other mines to emulate the diamond miner.
“Lucara is helping the local community. All their employees rent from the community. This is one area teachers could explore and make a living from,” he said.
Lucara representative indicated that the company has adopted 10 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the 17 set by United Nations. As a result, she said all their funding will be disbursed on projects that centre around the SDGs.
The official revealed number of projects they have sponsored in the community that range from small stock, tailoring services, horticulture although the projects failed to grow.
“We took a strategic decision to help communities and small groups. We are going to build a private school from the proceeds of Lesedi la Rona,” she said.
She further encouraged teachers to group themselves and pitch business proposals that centre around SDGs, and Lucara will consider them for sponsorships.
She also highlighted that they are supporting STEM (Science, Technology, English and Mathematics) by disbursing P68,000 annually to motivate students.
One of the organisers of the event, Julia Hakamo encouraged teachers to join BOSETU so that they could learn more about economic empowerment.
“Recently, we took a resolution to economically empower members, and the starting point is learning the basics. This day is all about education, and we must put the lesson into practice,” she said.