Lobsec gets ‘green’ classroom
Lobatse Senior Secondary School became the first beneficiary of Botswana’s green building technology this week when they officially unveiled a brand new pilot ecoclassroom.
The 54sqm classroom that can accommodate up to 25 students is constructed using plastic bricks that have been tested for safety and are founded on the acute need for rapid construction and affordability.
Director of Regional Operations, South Region Sylvia Kwape, views this as an answer to current challenges posed by Covid-19 within public schools. When the pandemic broke out in March 2020, burning issues including big class sizes and lack of infrastructure were brought to the fore, and calls for classes to be cut in half to allow for social distancing, were made ultimately forcing a shift system to be imposed.
“This development could not have come at a more perfect time,” said Kwape, adding that it should also serve as motivation to both students and staff of Lobatse Secondary School as the first beneficiaries of the ‘green’ building.
Eco Hub is an eco-friendly and sustainable housing concept developed in Botswana and founded by a local architect and social entrepreneur, Letsogile Kennedy. Compared to a conventional classroom of brick and mortar and prefab classroom the eco-brick classroom costs P400 000 to P475 000 while a conventional classroom could cost up to P750 000 and a prefab up to P550 000.
Kennedy explains that while the conventional classroom would take up to at least six months to build, the ecobrick classroom takes only 12 days to assemble. It is also environmentally friendly, encourages recycling, there is little to zero maintenance, it is solar equipped and has architectural versatility that allows it to be expanded.
Kennedy participated in alternative and sustainable housing projects prior to receiving Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) funding. Their technology and innovation is premised on the idea of curbing effects of climate change and global warming, while at the same time providing affordable housing.
He was also involved with a BIH project that considered the design and implementation of sustainable housing units using alternative materials, based on an original prototype developed by IKEA, and distributed by Better Shelter (Sweden). Eco Hub is among the first five projects to be funded under the Botswana Innovation Fund (BIF).
“As an entrepreneur this is one of those awesome milestones when you realise your crazy idea manifesting, validating its existence, its potential and its opportunities”, Kennedy says. He adds that Eco-Hub decided to step in and pilot the classroom to answer government’s call for additional classrooms that are friendlier to Covid-19 protocols.
Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe concurs that such innovation is welcome to deal with current challenges, adding that there is need for alternative solutions and ways of doing business.
“Its significance was further augmented by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic when the shortage of classroom space became even more acute to the need to exercise social distancing,” Dr Letsholathebe said, adding that he looks forward to many more similar efforts across the country taking shape.
Lobatse Secondary School HoD and teacher who have been part of the project from the onset, Chatiwila Onamile and Pono Garogwe agree that the classroom does not just add change to the architecture of their school, but will go a long way in assisting in the teaching process.
“This is also motivation to our students and will inspire them in the innovation space,” Onamile said, adding that because of its versatility, the classroom can be used as a school clinic.
The launch of the Eco-hub prototype also marked the beginning of the call for proposals of commercial projects with market access and scaling potential. The Commercial Landing call opened on February 5 and will close on February 19.