Debswana Boosts High Flying Orapa Junior
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday November 25, 2019 15:02
Last week, the school got a boost from Debswana in the form of two classroom blocks (four classrooms) valued at P3.7 million built by the mining giant.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Mmetla Masire officially opened the facilities on Friday.
“I am excited to be officiating at this great school which is one of the best performing Junior Secondary Schools in the country. I have been informed that despite the infrastructural challenges the school has been facing over the years, Orapa JSS has managed to remain at the top of academic excellence,” Masire said.“On that note I wish to take this moment to pay tribute to teachers and students, past and present, who have had to endure the difficulties of learning in the most challenging circumstances, but yet produce great academic results.” Masire also praised Debswana for the gesture and many others the company had done. “I have also noted that Debswana has aligned its Corporate Social Investment Programme with key pillars of our national agenda such as education which is very commendable.
That is why the company found it necessary to invest P3.7 million to build the two classroom blocks we are unveiling today. The classroom blocks are meant to reduce congestion and improve quality of learning at the school.
Distinguished guests, Debswana’s success has in large part been a result of its ability to develop and sustain a qualified and skilled workforce. Through investment in human capital development over the years, Debswana has made a lasting contribution to sustainable development within the education sector through scholarship programmes, employee development programmes and Government Schools Development Programmes,” he said. For his part, OLDM general manager Bakani Motlhabani said Orapa JSS has developed into a benchmark school due to the exceptional academic performance that the school has achieved consistently over the years.
“At Debswana, we embrace a culture of high performance at our workplace and we are very proud to be associated with such extraordinary performance shown by Orapa JSS. Over and above fulfilling our value of Show We Care, encouraging high performance is one of the reasons why Debswana has and will continue to support the school in various initiatives to ensure that the school stays at the peak of excellence. I am also informed that you have a very active Parent Teachers Association (PTA) that assists the school in achieving great results which is highly commendable,” he said.
Motlhabani said Debswana is also transitioning to super pits and underground mining. He told the students that they are looking up to them to work hard at their studies so that they prepare themselves to be engineers, geologists, metallurgists and other professionals who will make sure that Debswana sustains this transition in the future.
School Head, Kolobetso Seabe thanked Debswana for the gesture and said it was through their help that the school continues producing the best results in the country. She called on Debswana to adopt the school so the partnership between the two could be formalised. Seabe challenged the students to do more and achieve merit that the school is yet to have.