24 May 2016

Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Moiseraele Goya says rising number of pupils that fall pregnant to elderly men should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

The Palapye lawmaker said during a kgotla meeting in Ranaka on Monday that the development was a shame and deviation from Setswana culture.

“Majority of these students are impregnated by elderly men some of whom happen to be close relatives,” he said.

He said elderly men were responsible for the 407 pregnancies registered at schools across the length and breadth of Botswana since April last year to date.

“Out of the 407 learners, 16 are primary school going girls, 126 junior school while 265 are at senior secondary level,” he revealed.

Rising pregnancies, unruly behavior that manifest itself in many forms at schools, the assistant minister noted was the primary cause of poor performance that was worsening by the day.

In Ranaka for instance the lone primary and junior secondary schools registered 65 and 22 per cent pass rate respectively in 2015.

He said students did not only engage in sexual relationships, but abuse alcohol and related substances; something he blamed on parents.

“You are the ones who concoct alcohol beverages, peddle drugs and sell to these children,” he said calling on parents to rise to the occasion and normalise the situation.

He said any lasting solution to the problems besieging the education of the children was dependent upon a determined tripartite of the ministry of education, teachers as well as students. 

Earlier on, Kgosi Karabo Telekelo called on parents to work with teachers to better pupils’ results.

“Let us not destroy the future of these children by selling them dagga and telling them all sorts of lies that by taking these drugs their intellect will get a boost,’ he pleaded.

For their part, residents promised they will take up their responsibility and work with teachers to better results. ENDS