29 Jun 2016

Ba Isago University managing director, Mr Odirile Gabasiane, says Botswana has made strides in education  since the pre-independence era.
Speaking at the Kweneng regional excellence awards in Letlhakeng on Tuesday, Mr Gabasiane said such strides led to the country producing professionals who played a major part in developing other aspects of the economy.
Mr Gabasiane therefore urged teachers to be committed to their profession to continue the legacy as teaching laid the path for other professionals. He advised them that despite the challenges such as the conditions of their work, the challenges were not as bad as those faced by teachers around the independence era.
Mr Gabasiane also advised parents to take their role in the education of their children seriously, saying the task of moulding students cannot be solely shouldered by teachers. He said that it is shameful that some parents are so ignorant to the extent of not allowing  their children to be disciplined by teachers, something that he said will breed ill-disciplined future leaders.
The Parents Teachers Association Chairman,, Mr Marks Mokgowe also reiterated the concern of parents not taking part in the education of their children, saying parents do not attend forums such as PTA meetings despite them being the only forums where they can have an input on how to improve the performance of students and the school in general.
He said parents should also be active in the educational needs of their children even at home as that is where the foundation should be laid.
Mr Mokgowe advised students to take their education seriously as the world is now a global village, meaning that competition is not only confined locally, but is also global.
Giving a word of motivation, Radio Botswana personality, Ms Lilian Dithupe informed the students that nowadays government’s focus is not only on theoretical subjects, but that even practical subjects as well as sporting activities are taken seriously.
She said this is to cater for students who may not be well gifted in subjects that require more theory, but in areas such as sports, and therefore advised those who have talent is such areas to take it seriously.
Ms Dithupe also advised parents to keep a keen eye on their children to prevent them from being derailed by modern developments such as smartphones with access to internet.
 She also raised concern at the rising vices in schools such as drug abuse and inter-generational relationships, saying they need to be addressed quickly.
She said it is a shame that some parents tolerate such relationships, saying this is destroying a child’s future. Giving the objectives of the awards, the chairman of the organizing committee, Mr Khan Masau said they were meant to among others, celebrate the success of teachers, parents and the students.
He said rewarding and recognizing these three stakeholders in education is very important in nurturing and ensuring good performance.
He said holding such award has the potential to help uplift plummeting results in schools as they instill the spirit of competition on awardees.
“Through these awards, we want to motivate the awardees to aim for even better results, and this will then help shape a well-rounded and globally competitive student,” he said.
Mr Masau said rewards should not only be confirmed to school, but that they can be practiced even at home by parents to reward their children.
The awards were held under the theme; Education a Premise for Progress, an Award, a Catalyst for Success. ENDS