• DTC Botswana donates over P1m equipment to Education Ministry
Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Botswana has donated Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) equipment worth over P1 million to the Ministry of Education and Skills Development.
The sponsorship, which includes smart boards, robotics kits, laptops, tablets and drones will benefit seven secondary schools. These includes Tashata, Kgale Hill, Motswakhumo, Shoshong, Shakawe Senior, Seepapitso Senior School, and Molefi Senior Secondary School.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Tashatha Junior School in Tati Siding, DTC Managing Director, Sedireng Serumola, said the initiative was in line with one of the company’s strategic priorities of supporting local communities and creating shared value by elevating communities while promoting technology and innovation from grassroots.
He said the donation would also assist in capacitating teachers and learners on Stem-focused skills through encouraging hands-on learning while promoting 21st century skills like creativity, inquiry, and collaboration.
“We found it important to distribute our donation to schools in different regions as a way of ensuring students from across all four corners of Botswana are availed the best tools for their studies, which contributes to equitable distribution of resources and thus, closing the gap between rural and urban areas,” said Serumola.
The MD further said one of their Corporate Social Investment (CSI) objectives is to forge strong and value-adding partnerships, and actively pursue projects and activities that have a strong inclination towards capacity building, enterprise development and children.
Serumola said he hoped the equipment would be harnessed for optimum benefit and that, with time, see an improvement in STEM subjects.
“As an engineer myself, and a STEM graduate, I do hope that, overall, this initiative will cultivate more engineers and scientists who can further transform our education system and our economy,” he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe, said their objectives as the ministry is to educate and develop a 21st century learner who is different from the conventional learner.
“We are at a point where we no longer can force students to learn subjects they don’t like. Those good in music or art should be able to focus on that,” said Letsholathebe.
The minister said the donation by DTC Botswana couldn’t have arrived at a right time, when the government is driving towards the fourth industrial revolution.
“We need to understand that to achieve digitilisation and fourth industrial revolution, means we have to invest in STEM, and even change our education curriculum,” Letsholathebe said.
The minister said through initiatives like the one from DTC Botswana, he was confident that his ministry would be able to produce students ready to compete globally.