24 Jan 2016

In the north east of Maun about 30 kilometers from Sankoyo, the home of premier league outfit, Sankoyo Bush Bucks, there is a small well knit community of Mababe.

The village which is in the North-West District of Botswana and is a gateway to the Okavango Delta. History has it that the first inhabitants of Mababe were the legendary semi-nomadic Basarwa who survived by hunting and gathering.

As time progressed and civilization became the order of the day these people established permanent settlements to make it easier for the government to facilitate developments in their area.

Today as one enters the village of Mababe one is greeted by a landmark building, Kgosietsile Primary School where the pupils are beating all odds to pave their way to success.

The school was built in 1997 and opened its doors in 1998 with four classrooms and an enrollment of 40 pupils. The current enrollment stands at 85 with classes starting from Standard One to Seven.

 A renowned cyclist and a cancer survivor, Mr Lance Armstrong once said “if children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it what choice do I  have but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell.”

True to Mr Armstrong’s postulation the children of Kgosietsile Primary School are making their community proud by performing to their maximum notwithstanding their background.

Who would ever believe that a remote area school would outclass those of the so-called developed areas and register impressive results?

Children from remote areas are synonymous of absconding from school and indulging in alcohol and early sex. Mababe children are determined to turn around this unfortunate situation.

The children there see the school as the only place and hope for education. Also, the school to them is a window to opportunities and to discover the outside world that is full of excitement.

The school is one of the best performing schools in Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results in the region. For the past five years the school has been doing well in ABC passes. In 2011 they scored 100 per cent,  2012 the pass rate was 91 per cent  while in 2013 it scooped 86 per cent, 2014 and 2015 they scored 100 per cent respectively.

However, the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) chairperson, Ms Olapeng Tebalo said the school was performing well as the management, parents, local authorities, Village Development Committe and Mababe Zokotsama Community Trust had committed themselves to put maximum effort to be amongst the best schools in the country.

We put up some strategies in place to engage parents in their pupil’s work since parental involvement is key to achieving good results, she said in an interview

Every Tuesdays and Thursdays parents are allowed to visit the school to check on their childrens work.

She also indicated that parents and other stakeholders also attend meetings and other school activities without fail as they understand the importance of education which motivates pupils.

In addition, she said teachers have also shown commitment to offer high standard and quality education to the pupils despite the fact that they come from a settlement.

Ms Tebalo also pointed out that teachers posted at the school continued with their effort in enhancing and improving the quality of education system despite challenges they encounter.

“Our teachers love pupils and treat them as their own hence they continue to excel despite the difficult working conditions,” she quipped.

The chairperson explained that teachers have developed the spirit of volunteerism and the love for their pupils as they create time for them even during weekends.

Ms Tebalo said unlike other schools where pupils from remote areas often abscond from school Kgosietsile primary was a different story as all children attend classes.

She said some members of the PTA and teachers usually do home visits in cases where children miss lessons.

The regional education public relations officer, Mr Lesley Kehitile confirmed that the school has been performing above 75 per cent since 2009 to date despite being classified as RADs area. He said nationally, the school scooped position four after Hill Cresent, Dagwi and Dipotsana primary schools respectively.

He mentioned some performance strategies applied by the school management and teachers such as promoting a child friendly environment, breakthrough to help pupils gain confidence, analyisng results per class and subject where pupils are given feedback and follow up is made, rewarding of staff and performing pupils at the end of every year.

The school also enjoys support from the community development trust, donations from tourists and local businesses. The trust has been assisting the school financially since 2006. Ends