Teachers down tools as water crisis cripple Sekgoma JSS
Pini Bothoko | Friday February 27, 2026 11:09
At Sekgoma Junior Secondary School (JSS) in Tsau village, an acute shortage of water has brought operations to a near standstill, exposing learners and teachers to harsh and undignified conditions.
For years, the school has struggled with unreliable access to water, but the situation has now escalated into a full-blown crisis. Teachers have reportedly abandoned lessons, while learners are left without even the most necessities required for daily survival.
According to information gathered by Mmegi, the shortage has reached critical levels, particularly because the school accommodates boarding students who depend entirely on the institution for food, sanitation, and general welfare. With no water available, the school is failing to meet even the most basic needs, including cooking and drinking.
Sources within the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, revealed that both teachers and learners had been surviving on water collected during the rainy season earlier this year. However, those reserves have since been depleted, leaving the school community completely without water.
“This is not a new problem. We have been struggling for years. We used to rely on a water bowser truck, but it has not been coming regularly. Now it has been weeks without any supply,” the source said.
The dire situation has forced teachers to halt lessons, citing inhumane conditions that make it impossible to continue teaching. Without water, learners and teachers cannot bathe, wash their clothes, or even prepare a simple meal. Lack of sanitation has further worsened the situation, forcing both teachers and students to resort to the bush when nature calls.
This has not only exposed them to health risks but has also eroded their dignity. “It is embarrassing and unsafe. Teachers and learners sometimes find themselves in the same bushes trying to relieve themselves. There is no privacy, no dignity,” said the source.
It is further alleged that the school headmaster has, at times, used school development funds to purchase water in a desperate attempt to keep the institution running. However, this has proven unsustainable, especially as the entire region battles water scarcity.
Efforts to seek intervention from authorities have so far yielded no results. Mmegi has established that teachers has written several petition letters to the regional education office, pleading for urgent assistance. The latest petition was reportedly sent three weeks ago, but no meaningful response has been received.
Previously, the school relied on water deliveries from a bowser two to three times a week. However, this lifeline has been disrupted, with the bowser having not visited the school for the past three weeks.
Teachers and learners argue that access to water is a fundamental human right and a basic necessity for survival. They say it is unreasonable to expect them to continue with lessons under such conditions.
“You cannot expect a child to sit in class when they have not bathed or eaten anything. Water is needed every single day, and without it, everything stops ,” the source added
Area Member of Parliament, Caterpillar Hikuama, confirmed that he is aware of the crisis and the suffering faced by the school community. He expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of response from relevant authorities.
“I am even losing hope of ever getting help. I have on several occasions pleaded with the Minister of Water and Human Settlements, Onneetse Ramogapi, for intervention. I have also escalated the matter to the Vice President, Ndaba Gaolathe, but unfortunately the situation continues to deteriorate,” he said.
Maun West MP further revealed that the water bowser that had been assisting the area recently broke down and has yet to be repaired, further making the situation worse.
“My people are dying of thirst. I do not know how else to plead for government’s intervention,” Hikuama said.
He pointed out that the water shortage is not limited to Sekgoma JSS alone but affects several villages in the region, including Bodibeng, Kareng, Bothatogo, Sehithwa, Legothwane, Toteng, and Tsau. He stated that these areas were previously supplied by a water treatment plant in Bodibeng, which has reportedly been non-functional for years.
“The government has failed to maintain the plant. As a result, all these villages are now struggling with water shortages,” Hikuama said.
He added that he has long advocated for the construction of a new water treatment facility, arguing that the existing one appears beyond repair. However, his efforts have not yielded any progress.
“We need a lasting solution. This issue has been ongoing for years, and temporary measures are no longer sufficient,” he said.
He admitted that the ongoing crisis has left both teachers and learners feeling abandoned, with some expressing despair over the lack of urgency in addressing their plight.
“We are now hoping for a miracle because it seems like the government has failed us,” Hikuama said.
As the situation persists, the impact on education in the region is expected to worsen. With lessons halted and basic living conditions compromised, Sekgoma JSS stands as a severe reminder of how infrastructural challenges can derail the future of learners.
Unless urgent intervention is made, the school’s academic performance already under strain is likely to deteriorate further, leaving an entire generation at risk of being left behind.