China-aided school solves schooling for kids in Botswana

Eleven-year-old Cattlejo used to get up at 5 am every morning in order to get to school 15 kilometers away. Now, with the China-aided Mmopane Primary School having been completed in 2021, she does not need to get up as early for school any more.

Mmopane is a beautiful village in the Kweneng District of Botswana. In recent years, thanks to the fast socioeconomic development of the capital Gaborone, Mmopane has become a new population cluster. In 2020, its permanent resident population reached 18,300, a 4-fold increase since 2001.

The rapid increase in population has brought many challenges to public schooling for local children, many of whom had to travel long distances to attend primary schools in other districts.

In January 2021, before the start of the new school semester, the China-aided Mmopane Primary School opened with about 630 students enrolled. When doing an interview with Xinhua News Agency last July, the school principal said the China-aided school was well received by local people, who were extremely relieved at having a solution to the schooling problem for local kids.

Prior to Mmopane Primary School, China had already built two primary schools in Botswana. All three schools are well-equipped with teaching facilities. One of the schools opened in 2011 and had become one of the best public schools in terms of academic performance in Botswana since 2012.   

In 2021, the Chinese Embassy in Botswana set up the "Chinese Ambassador Award" in China-aided schools to award students and teachers with outstanding performances, and has donated supplies to the schools a number of times.

"We are very grateful to China," said Minister of Education and Skills Development of Botswana Douglas Letsholathebe in a phone interview with Xinhua News Agency, adding that the China-aided schools will help to achieve access to and equality of education and training in Botswana, which will help Botswana achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals on education.

Wang Xuefeng, Chinese ambassador to Botswana, said that the China-aided schools have greatly supported the development of basic education in Botswana and have been well received and highly praised by local teachers, parents and students.

The fourth China-aided primary school, Kazungula Primary School in north Botswana's Kasane, is under construction. The project is progressing well despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, according to technical leader of the project Bao Jinghui, The school, which is expected to accommodate 560 students, will complete construction by the end of 2023.