Lab kits elevate science at Donatus
Riotous and elated, the learners of Donatus Primary unanimously extended an open hand to B2Gold for their support for science tuition. Celebrating the donation with the children were the school’s science teachers and Auriol Ashby, B2Gold’s CSR Management Consultant; and Kaanduka Nghipandulwa, B2Gold’s Stakeholder Liaison Officer. The ultimate aim of B2Gold’s CSR initiatives is to include public participation in corporate decision-making, ensuring that quality of life is improved and safeguarded through initiatives that are based upon relevant statistics and facts in alignment with Namibia’s Millennium Development Goals.
Earlier this month, B2Gold, the company operating the Otjikoto Gold Mine near Otjiwarongo donated an extensive set of science kits to the Donatus Primary School to assist science teachers in their quest to make the subject more approachable and enjoyable.
B2Gold Namibia and the Donatus Primary School celebrated the handover of the science kits at the school’s premises in the presence of all the learners, the mining company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator, Mrs. Conney Manghono, and the Donatus Primary School principal, Mrs. Hester Campbell. The science kits are valued at N$45,000.
The science equipment and chemicals will enable primary school learners to conduct a wide range of practical experiments in physical science, chemistry and natural science, rather than merely watching the teacher or learning from a textbook. The handover ceremony was followed by a short training of the science teachers on the safe and effective use of the science kits to ensure maximum benefits for both teachers and learners.
Asked why the school needed the science kits, the mathematics and science head of department Mr. Ruben Malakia said, “The assistance from B2Gold will allow us to teach children using practical science experiments. The kits will also boost the learners’ confidence when it comes to doing and understanding science experiments”. The primary school has been relying on its sister school, The Donatus Secondary, to lend them material for experiments which has not always been effective because they have to cater for their own learners.
Explaining why B2Gold Namibia supported Donatus Primary, Ms. Manghono said, “B2Gold has made a commitment to support projects which deliver long-term impacts in our focus areas. Education, especially of our children, remains the greatest equaliser and a means to an improved future. Science remains the cornerstone of our mining business – hence the inherent need to ensure that children grasp the full scope of their scientific subjects and hopefully become scientists and engineers in future”.
The Donatus Primary School opened its doors in 2010 and currently has 857 learners from preprimary to grade seven and a staff complement of 27 teachers.
In 2014 B2Gold completed 30 community-related projects as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility commitment. The CSR programme has four focus areas, namely Education, Health, Livelihoods, and Environmental Conservation.
