Parliamentary questions and answers

| Thursday March 6, 2014 09:18

 

 

Monarch houses cracking

Dr Habaudi Hobona (Francistown West)

Question: The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources if he is aware of complaints by residents of Phase Six in Monarch location in Francistown, whose houses have developed cracks on account of a quarry blasting company located close to the residential area: if so, would the Minister confirm whether an Environmental Impact Assessment study was carried out before the quarry was licensed to operate in the area.

Response: My ministry is aware of complaints alleging that houses in Phase Six, Francistown, were developing cracks due to blasting operations at Panda quarry, which is located about one kilometer away from residential areas, in the Monarch Area. In 2003, following complaints of houses cracking, the Department of Mines investigated these allegations, but investigations could not conclusively link the cracking of houses to the quarry operations. Since the last investigations, the Department of Mines has not received any complaints regarding cracking of houses at Phase Six due to blast vibrations of fly rock.

 

Not all schools got books

Bagalatia Arone (Okavango)

Question: The Minister of Education and Skills Development to apprise parliament on the state of Design and Technology Laboratories and Libraries in all new Seniors Secondary Schools.

Response: There was an open tender for the Design and Technology Equipment, which was dully awarded in 2012. However, there was a mismatch between the designs of the buildings especially the electrical provision and the equipment procured. The libraries have been supplied with immovable furniture, security systems and computers. The initial consignment of books was not supplied mainly due to the state of completeness of the schools at that time and the newly decentralised structures.

 

Programe attracts 67,000

 

Botsalo Ntuane (Gaborone West South)

Question: The Minister of Education and Skills Development to state (I) the number of pupils that have been enrolled in the Back-to-School Programme since its roll out.

(II) The total number that has been absorbed and benefited from the Ppogramme that is residents of Gaborone West South Constituency

(III) Whether the Programme is achieving the desired goals and the number that have so far graduated and

(IV) The methodology used to enable the recipients to access lectures and the institutions tasked with implementation of the programme.

Response: Progress has been made in the Back-to-School Programme nationally with 67,526 applications registered in 2012.

Out of these, 33,044 re-entrants have been absorbed, exceeding the annual target of 20,000. Madam speaker 101 applicants were absorbed in the Back to School Programme that is resident in Gaborone West South Constituency. The breakdown is as follows, three admitted back in to the formal Primary School, eight in to the Junior Secondary School, 22 in to the Senior Secondary while brigades and technical colleges absorbed 68. In addition, 712 applicants who could not be absorbed at the different levels due to ages limit were absorbed by BOCODOL.

Madam Speaker, the programme is achieving its intended goals as a high proportion, 49 percent of those who applied were absorbed at different levels of the education system. The first enrolment of Back-to-School programme in to the formal system was in 2013. We are therefore expecting first graduates in 2014.

A total of 4,055 Back-to-School candidates sat for the 2013 Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations through BOCODOL.