28 Oct 2015

Teachers should not be blamed for students’ failure but instead be given support to ensure achievement of better results. Businessman and former student at Mookane Primary School, Mr Phenyo Nthase said this during a prize giving ceremony at the school recently.

Mr Nthase said parents had a tendency of pointing fingers at teachers when students were not doing well in their studies, forgetting that it was as much their responsibility as it was for the teachers.

He stated that parents should always make sure that children did homework and help them where necessary. 

“These children need to understand the importance of education even before they start school and that can only be done by parents,” he said. 

Mr Nthase further advised the students to take their schoolwork seriously and do away with the habits that might destroy their future such as drug and alcohol use and sexual relationships. 

He said in such small villages as Mookane, the youth tended to indulge in self-destructive behaviour at an early age and advised them to break from the stereotype, make themselves and their parents proud by focusing only on their education. 

He told the students that he used to be a student at the same school, but he never let himself to be distracted by such things as peer pressure, adding that he now holds a Master’s Degree, which is very possible for them too if only they can take their education seriously.

Furthermore, he urged teachers to act as role models to students and keep preaching the importance of education. 

For her part, school head, Ms Victoria Setlalekgosi commended parents and the community of Mookane at large for always supporting them, saying the prize giving ceremony would not have been held if it wasn’t for their contribution.

“We work with parents all the time, our children can be unruly at times, but we have been working tirelessly with parents, police officers and social workers to try and keep them in line and for that I am very grateful because it is not every day that parents get so involved in children’s education,” she said.

She went on to say that even though the school is not performing as well as they wish, they are doing all in their power as parents and teachers to make sure that the academic results improve.

 Ms Setlalekgosi said they introduced study camps just before the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) to help students better equip themselves for their exams and said they are expecting good results as this initiative proved to be helpful. 

She also commended businesswoman, Ms Pinkie Setlalekgosi of Sprint Couriers, also a native of Mookane, who has adopted the school, for her support.

She noted that Sprint Couriers always buys school uniform for the less privileged children and offers incentives to those who perform well in their studies. 

She said last year Sprint Couriers took the best PSLE best performers on a flight trip to Francistown and this year they promised to take them to Sun City. Ends