BCP Slams Closure Of Schools In Okavango

Boniface Keakabetse | Monday February 27, 2017 17:18

 

Addressing a press conference at party offices in Sanyedi ward here, party officials blamed the closure on a litany of chaos engulfing the Okavango area. They said they want Government to, as a matter of urgency, open an investigation into the education chaos ravaging the region.

Former Botswana Police deputy commissioner, Kenny Kapinga explained that the closure comes at a time of severe water shortage that has hit villages across the Okavango caused by incessant power shortages, which also triggered mobile network cuts. “For weeks villages across Okavango have gone without water. This has severely affected residential and Government institutions,” he said.

Kapinga said this has caused the closure of Ghambao and Gowa junior secondary schools in Seronga and Xhauxwi respectively. He said the closure came after students threatened to strike over poor living conditions caused by water shortages.

North West region chairman, Goretetse Kekgonegile blamed the situation on what he termed “skewed distribution of developments in Botswana”. Kekgonegile said Ngamiland has fewer facilities such as schools in relation to its population.  Kekgonegile also complained about poor examination results in the region, which are among the worst in the country. He said the BCP is against automatic continuation of failed students, calling for pupils to repeat grades.

He said the issues of food shortages in schools are worse in Ngamiland compared to other districts in Botswana. Kekgonegile challenged the Ministry of Basic Education oficials to account for the situation in the district and to send a high-powered delegation to get to the bottom of the problems. Meanwhile Kekgonegile revealed that they would host a capacity building workshop in Kasane from March 3 to 4 that will be sponsored by the Labour Party in United Kingdom. He explained that the BCP has bilateral relations with the Labour Party. Kekgonegile said following the workshop they will have a massive rally in Kasane on March 5. Former BCP MP for Chobe, Gibson Nshingwe said they have been allocated 17 constituencies under the Umbrella for Democratic Change and will contest four out of five in the North West region. He stated that BCP would hold primary elections when necessary.