the monitor

The curious case of the Box School

In Gaborone, they say a new school has been built. Normally, this would be cause for celebration — ribbon cutting, speeches, maybe even a choir of children singing about the bright future ahead or perhaps Vee and Charma Gal serenading the crowd.

But as usual, there are those who criticise. Some unionists have banded together and declared, with great conviction, that the school is made of boxes. Yes, boxes. Not bricks, not mortar, not steel beams. Boxes. Now, most of us are sitting here with our heads spinning. How can a school be made of boxes? Did someone raid the back of a supermarket and decide to stack banana cartons into classrooms? And most importantly, what happens when it rains? Will the Standard 5 classroom float away like a soggy cereal packet? The unionists, of course, are serious. They even called a meeting to announce to the citizens that the school is nothing more than a glorified warehouse of cardboard.

One can imagine the scene: a stern-faced spokesperson, pounding the table, declaring, ‘Comrades, our children are being educated in boxes!’ The crowd gasps. Someone faints. Another whispers, ‘But... what if it’s true?’

Editor's Comment
Exercise extra caution!

Unfortunately, petty thieves tend to be more vicious around this time as they also prepare for the festive season. Culturally, many Batswana go home for the holiday, and petty thieves are amongst those who go home. Burglaries, car break-ins, and attacks on unsuspecting pedestrians seem to be on the rise!That is not all, as scammers continue to take money from pensioners as well as other Batswana who may fall prey to their unscrupulous tactics....

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