The facts on SPERA

| Thursday June 10, 2010 00:00

*The concept for SPERA was retained when MEP was dropped, and SPERA was further defined as a support programme in a proposal submitted in 2006.  At this time, SPERA focused primarily on multilingual education, with the goal of providing access to home language education and simultaneously improving access to Setswana and English.  The 2006 proposal also contained a suggestion for the creation of an independent NGO, a suggestion that was later dropped in favor of housing SPERA under the Research Centre for San Studies of the University of Botswana.

*Over the past four years, the ideals for SPERA have continuously been refined following input from key stakeholders. SPERA is now re-forming as a vibrant research branch of the Research Centre for San Studies at the University of Botswana, which was launched on April 19, 2010. It will not be a separate NGO. 

*Dr. Jennifer Hays is not the head of SPERA, as stated in the article.  SPERA currently has a committee based at the University of Botswana, led by Dr. Rebecca Lekoko.  This committee is in the process of determining the leadership structure that SPERA will have under the new Research Centre for San Studies.  Hays has been a consultant for SPERA in the past and are an external member of the current SPERA committee.

The presentation that the Mmegi article discusses was titled 'SPERA: Background and History'.  It described the history of the formation of what is now called SPERA.  SPERA was born out of MEP, which dates back to 2004. The Mmegi article describes MEP proposals as if they were SPERA's (that is, as if they were actually happening now).  The above points put this record straight, and I kindly request Mmegi to attend to the factual errors as indicated.

In summary:  SPERA is a support programme based at the University of Botswana, and is a wing of the Research Centre for San Studies. This wing is designed to holistically support educational reforms that will be inclusive, and responsive to the educational needs of the remote disadvantaged communities, with special focus on the San.  SPERA researchers will work in close consultation and partnerships with the government, NGOs, donors, and others, and will inform efforts and areas including educational policy, capacity building programmes, pilot projects, and advocacy.  For now, SPERA's strength is its research capacity and expertise, which are ready to put to use as required and supported.

Thank you for considering these corrections.  I appreciate very much your coverage of the issues, and would like to work together with you to provide informative and accurate information about the issues and the organisations involved. I look forward to a continued collaboration with you.

Jennifer Hays (Researcher, University of Tromso, Norway)