the monitor

Dukwi top achiever prays for new gov to consider sponsoring refugees

Huguette Mangaza 1
Huguette Mangaza 1

FRANCISTOWN:A 20-year-old young woman from Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) residing at Dukwi refugee Huguette Mangaza wishes for the new government led by President Duma Boko to would consider providing them with access to higher education.

Mangaza is one of the few young people who did well on their Botswana General Certificate Secondary Education (BGCSE) and received letters of placement from tertiary institutions of their choice however, scholarships are not included in the placement. Currently refugees do not receive tertiary funding from the government. Furthermore,Mangaza joins the group of top performers from the Dukwi refugee camp who were unable to obtain government sponsorship nor scholarships from the SkillShare International Botswana. Skillshare Internation Botswana is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which is aimed at promoting social and economic justice by building capacity of the marginalised communities (including refugees and asylum seekers) living in Botswana to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Furthermore ,the NGO has previously helped a number of Dukwi top achievers secure tertiary education scholarship for their preferred programme of studies from different higher educational institutions. In an interview with The Monitor,Mangaza was wished for the new administration to consider including refugees for tertiary sponsorship. She stated that a lot of refugees including herself performed well for their BGCSE but the educational setup for tertiary financing did not favour them. The 20-year-old who aspire to be a business specialist said her dream is farfetched looking at the current government sponsorship scheme. For instance ,she attained 41 points in the 2023 BGCSE which is believed was exceptional performance to get her to study any programme she was interested in. " Consequently due to my good results I received admission from the University of Botswana (UB) to study Business administration and Botswana International University of Science and Technology(BIUST) to pursue Computer science,"she added. Disappointedly,she stated that was stuck at home as she could get the sponsorship nor any scholarship opportunity. "My heart is burdened with distress as I find myself facing prolonged stagnation due to the absence of financial sponsorship. I have worked tirelessly in my academic endeavors, obtaining commendable grades that I believe would warrant a transition to university,"added Mangaza.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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