Cllrs urged to help social workers in schools

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Thursday March 25, 2010 00:00

 

Addressing councillors yesterday, she said that while in other schools there was close cooperation with the social workers, it was non-existent with other schools. 

She urged the councillors to encourage and not supervise the two stakeholders to work closely for the sake of the students in need of government aid.  'There are students who take ARVs who need to have eaten first and some might be suffering after losing their parents to the disease. The social workers need to know this information and how many orphans are in the schools because the school can't have this information,' she said.

On other issues, she urged the council to look into maintenance of the primary schools and clinics using Ipelegeng programme. 'You will be surprised that during out visits to the schools around the city we found falling ceilings and no fences around the schools resulting in anyone just walking through the schools,' Tshireletso said. 

The minister urged the councillors to use the Ipelegeng programme to build screen walls around the schools that would not be easily vandalised compared to fences.  She further urged the councillors to talk to the community to work selflessly to support their families instead of waiting for government handouts. 'Back then no mother would wait for handouts, they would plough their fields and do everything in their power to make sure that their children were well fed and well educated. A family cannot be known for its intergeneration poverty,' she said.

Commenting after the assistant minister's presentation, councillor for Phakalane ward and chairperson of the education and social welfare committee, Eunice Mguni promised to visit the schools.  Segoditshane councillor Ephraim Mabengano said that the issue of transparency and honesty should start in Parliament. 'When you hear such stories of people not declaring conflict of interest in Parliament, what do you think would happen to those in lower offices?' he said.

He further said that they are shocked that the new ministers joining the MoLG always advocate for a newlook for the city but never do anything in Parliament to make sure the city is allocated enough funds. 'GCC never get the funds that they request for,' he said. Botswana Congress Party (BCP) councillor Florence Shagwa said that it is time for the ministry to give the councils legislative powers and let them be autonomous so that no one can blame another department for their shortcomings. She urged the ministry to come up with sustainable poverty reduction programmes. 'We believe that Ipelegeng programme is not sustainable. The money that is being used in that programme should be used to do something different or buy trucks to collect rubbish around the city,' she said.The full council session ends tomorrow.