08 Mar 2013

Form five results which were released on March 4 have indicated a 1.4 per cent improvement compared to the 2011 results.

The Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi said in a statement to Parliament that following the release of the 2011 results, the ministry intensified efforts to improve performance in schools.

She said attention was given to the poor performing schools. This, she said, resulted in poor performing schools doing comparatively better than other schools in 2012.

 She gave the example of Gaborone Secondary School which was the lowest performer in 2011 at position 28 but it doubled its performance in 2012 attaining position four out of 31 schools senior secondary schools.

She mentioned that interventions have been put in place to improve performance in schools.

She informed Parliament that an inspectorate unit which was established 2012 has borne fruits as some of the schools which were inspected and monitored have shown improvement in performance.

The inspection, she told Parliament, had been restructured and strengthened with one inspector assigned five schools to monitor and support.

 Dr Venson-Moitoi further said that she had directed that results should be analysed after which school heads and teachers should account for their results.

The minister explained that she was addressing the issue of performance in schools from primary to tertiary level and had strengthened implementation of breakthrough and remedial teaching to improve achievement at standard four level.

Parliament heard that the ministry had taken a decision to revisit automatic progression. The minister said learners who would not make it after application of breakthrough and remedial teaching would be made to repeat standard four.

“Learners who did not perform well at Standard Seven will be made to repeat,” she said. ENDS