Extension of movement restriction, which was announced this week, has caused a delay in the construction of a much awaited satellite primary school in Boro where hundreds of young learners were expected to start classes next year January.
Expressing concern on the delays in the project, area councillor Kenson Kgaga said, “Construction should have been allowed to continue during lockdown, for progress sake.”
“I don’t see why it was necessary to shut down all works. Food is not the only necessity in life and therefore other shops including hardware stores should have been opened. It is very important that this school is built and completed within time. Anyone who understands the plight of these children would have not looked the other way,” said Kgaga in an interview this week.
About two months ago, the North West District Council set aside over P2 million to construct the school under the constituency Development Fund for Maun West.
The two-classroom block is for standard one and two pupils who would be saved from a daily grueling journey of 15 kilometres to school and back.
Boro is divided into Boro 1, Boro DRC and Boro prison. The school will be built at the central location in Boro prison, meaning those in Boro 1 and DRC would still have to travel about seven kilometres to reach the school.
“We need three satellite schools because Boro is broad. These children will still have to walk a relatively long way to and from school. They will still have to encounter and deal with wild animals along the way,” Kgaga added.
Children as young as six years of age have to walk from Boro to the now crowded Matlapana primary school, which is a catchment school for other major wards in and outside Maun, including Sexaxa and Matlapana.
Following Parliamentary debates on Wednesday this week, it was announced that more shops would be opened. However at the time of going to press the list of those to open were not yet released to the public.
