Shekaka bridges rural education gap
staff writer | Wednesday November 11, 2026 06:00
The innovation, founded by Tumelo Mokanye, is developing locally relevant educational solutions aimed at overcoming barriers that limit access to digital learning resources, particularly in rural schools. Shekaka was last week unveiled to stakeholders at an event organised by Botswana Digital Innovation Hub (BDIH) where learners from Solomon Dihutso Primary School, parents, community members, officials from Mogoditshane Sub-District Council and the Ministry of Basic Education and Child Welfare, local NGOs were present.
The enterprise operates across education technology, indigenous language inclusion, digital skills development and women's empowerment. Through its collaboration with the BDIH, Shekaka is receiving mentorship and business development support to strengthen its operations and advance the commercialisation of its technology-driven solutions. BDIH’s Commercialisation Centre works with innovation ecosystem players to support the development, growth and commercialisation of innovative solutions developed by local start-ups and enterprises. Shekaka is also advocating for promotion of indigenous languages and supports solar powered learning facilities to address educational inequalities and improve access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in underserved communities.
It has since developed Lab and Library on Wheels, a solar-powered mobile STEM and digital learning laboratory equipped with tablets, science resources, books and offline learning tools. The facility is intended to serve rural schools, particularly those without reliable electricity or internet access. Its third offering, Skills for Her, is a 90-day entrepreneurship accelerator designed to help young women transform business ideas into viable enterprises through development support and pitch preparation. BDIH officials noted the solutions demonstrate how technology, when combined with an understanding of local circumstances, can provide practical responses to developmental challenges. Also, Shekaka has an offline-capable gamified app, Rotlhe Adventure, which supports curriculum-aligned learning in African indigenous languages. Benjamin Ntsayakgosi, a local educator who uses Shekaka, explained that the application's offline-first functionality ensured that learning continues without interruptions caused by network outages or a lack of mobile data.
“What makes Rotlhe Adventure an absolute game-changer for a teacher is how intentionally it is built. “It is an offline-first, gamified application. In our environment, where internet access is either a luxury or completely non-existent, offline-first isn't just a technical feature it’s a lifeline,” he said. He highlighted the application was aligned with Botswana's Upper Primary curriculum, particularly STEM subjects, while incorporating local stories, indigenous languages and familiar characters to make learning more engaging. “When a child sees an interactive quiz or an educational game that features characters they recognise, environments they live in, and languages they speak at home, something beautiful happens. The barrier of fear drops,” Ntsayakgosi said. He added that the introduction of the platform at Solomon Dihutso Primary School had generated excitement among learners and teachers.
“The room went from the usual afternoon fatigue to absolute, vibrant electricity,” he said. Shekaka's approach highlights the potential of locally developed technology to address educational challenges while creating opportunities for greater inclusion in Botswana's digital economy. Mokanye, who is the brains behind Shekaka grew up in Khakhea, a rural village in the Kgalagadi District.