Mater Spei College
Mater Spei College is a government-aided Catholic secondary school located in Francistown, Botswana. It educates a mixture of boarding and day scholar students in grades (11-12) or form 4 and form 5.
| Mater Spei College | |
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| Location | |
| Information | |
| Type | Government-aided mission school |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1963 |
| Sister school | St. Joseph's College, Kgale |
| Grades | Form 4 (Grade 11), Form 5 (Grade 12) |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| National ranking | 2 |
| Website | www |
Location
Mater Spei College is located in Botswana's second-largest city, Francistown, in northern Botswana.[1]
History
Mater Spei College was founded by the Roman Catholic church in 1963.[2][3] Mater Spei was part of a major development plan by the Roman Catholic church, driven partly by the enthronement of Urban Murphy as the country's first Catholic bishop.[4] It was only the seventh secondary school to be opened in Botswana; the second Catholic secondary school in the country,[5] and one of a number of education developments driven by Christian missions which emerged in the late 1950s.[6]
The school received considerable financial support from the Botswana government, which made significant capital investment in building projects at the school to support the institution's expansion in its early years. As a result the school was able to expand from one stream per year in 1965 to 20 classes in 1975. In 1979 the school expanded to take over the grounds of the adjoining Our Lady of the Desert Primary School.[7]
School and the learning environment
In 2020 Mater Spei had approximately 1,750 students.[8] The school has facilities including double-storey classrooms, a multi-purpose hall and a networked (Internet-connected) library.[9]
In 2018 the school had the second highest academic results in Botswana for the country's BGCE examinations.[10]
Subjects taught
Mater Spei College has twelve subject departments, which includes:
- Christian Religious Education
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Setswana Language
- Science
Optional Subjects
- Design and Technology
- Art and Craft
- Development Studies
- Business Studies
- Geography
- Home Economics
- Agriculture
- English Literature
- History
A 2016 study found that this school was ahead of others in information and communications technology because of equipment and software provided by a local mining company.[11]
References
- "Location of Mater Spei College Botswana". local.com. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- Swartland, J. R.; Taylor, D. C. (1988). "Community Financing of Schools in Botswana". In Bray, M.; Lillis, K. (eds.). Community Financing of Education: Issues & Policy Implications in Less Developed Countries. Elsevier. pp. 139–153. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-035858-1.50022-8. ISBN 9781483297668.
- "Master Spei celebrates 50th anniversary". The Botswana Gazette. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- Grant, Sandy (1980). "The non-government contribution to development in Botswana, 1962-1980". Botswana Notes and Records. 12: 41–47. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- Swartland, J. R.; Taylor, D. C. (1988). "Community Financing of Schools in Botswana". In Bray, M.; Lillis, K. (eds.). Community Financing of Education: Issues & Policy Implications in Less Developed Countries. Elsevier. pp. 139–153. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-035858-1.50022-8. ISBN 9781483297668.
- Damane, Victoria; Molutsi, Patrick (2013). "Crisis of a Rich State: Botswana's Dilemma in Financing Tertiary Education". In Teferra, Damtew (ed.). Funding Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1137345783.
- Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (1979). National Development Plan. Gaborone: Government of Botswana. p. 331.
- Mkhutshwa, Lesedi (5 June 2020). "The challenges of double shift at Mater Spei". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "History of Mater Spei College Botswana". MSC INFO. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- Shabani, Thamani (7 April 2019). "Mater Spei College celebrates success". Botswana Daily News. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- Nleya, Paul Thabano Tapela (2016). "Transformative Applications of ICT in Education: The Case of Botswana Expansive School Transformation (Best) Project". In Mata, F.; Pont, A. (eds.). ICT for Promoting Human Development and Protecting the Environment (PDF). IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. 481. Springer. pp. 68–82. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-44447-5_8. ISBN 978-3-319-44446-8.