09 Mar 2016

Lotsane Senior School wants to send 25 students to Scotland next year courtesy of their global partnership with Charleston Academy in Scotland.
The school sent nine students to Scotland last year and intended to increase the number to 25.

This partnership came about as a result of the British Council’s initiative of Connecting Classrooms that operated in 25 African countries.
Speaking during the Global Schools Partnership dinner, the programme mentor, Ms Albertinah Milton, said this programme was important to teachers and students as they shared ideas on how to improve teaching and learning methods.

She said whilst in Scotland, both teachers and students attended classes since it was an educational exchange programme. The latter, she said, helped students to develop a positive attitude towards their school work and see the world in a different way.

She said all the nine students who visited Scotland last year scored performed outstandingly, scoring more than 40 points in their BGCSE. Ms Milton said if funds were available Lotsane would take more students to Scotland, appealing to private sector and other stakeholders to assist the school.

She said the programme also helped Lotsane to improve results, as the school managed to move from position 10 to position seven countrywide in the 2015 BGCSE results.
She said last year, Scotland brought 34 students and five teachers to Lotsane hence Lotsane aiming to reciprocate that.

For his part former school head of Lotsane Senior School Mr Tshokologo Dineo said Ministry of Education and Skills Development should come closer to schools that showed improvement in their results.
He said there are schools that are rising in terms of performance therefore such schools should be given support, citing Lotsane.

He said connecting classrooms has helped Lotsane to penetrate the top 10 last year and this year it managed to move up to position seven.
He said the impact of this initiative is noticeable as the school realized a massive improvement since it indulged in this programme and has produced the best student who featured amongst the best in the country.

Mr Dineo further said academic results do not happen by chance, adding that results show that Lotsane can be counted amongst the best.
He said Lotsane aims for top four in the coming BGCSE.

He said due to this programme, school performed outstandingly in the area of Art, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Physical Education.
“If we can take other subjects along, the school can make a big improvement,” he said.

Botswana International University of Science and Technology’s Dr Haniso Motlhabane said he is proud of Lotsane’s progress, adding “you can if you think you can”.
He said if Lotsane believes that it can be number one, they can be number one.He said partnerships are very important as they promote sharing of ideas, motivation and enlightenment, adding that BIUST will also adopt Lotsane. Ends