18 Oct 2016

Member of Parliament for Selebi Phikwe East has urged pupils to up their game in order to build a prosperous future.

Mr Nonofo Molefhi, also Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development, said this when addressing Boikhutso Junior Secondary School pupils during a prize giving event recently. 

He said future of the pupils was in their hands, so they needed to pull up their socks and do their best to produce good results. 

He called on pupils sitting for Junior Secondary Certificate Examinations to prove themselves.

He said teachers had worked hard as a team to help them do well.

Mr Molefhi said parents had also played their role by sacrificing whatever funds they had to make sure that their children got an education with high hopes that they would pass and proceed to senior secondary. 

“It is important that pupils take their education and exams serious to have a good pass rate. Government recognises high achievers and those that do well have the opportunity of being funded through the high achievers programme to prestigious universities around the world,” he said.

Minister Molefhi urged pupils to move away from illicit behaviour such as indulging in alcohol and drugs, adding that through such behaviours students could end up engaging in criminal behaviour.

 He said having a criminal record would have negative impact in their life as institutions and organizations sideline criminals.

He also called on parents or adults who contribute or influence students to engage in deviant behaviours by selling cigarettes and marijuana to students to stop such actions noting that they are leading children who are the future of this country in the wrong direction. He said they are also building up an immoral and irresponsible future generation.

He called on all parents and Batswana in general to be united and play a positive role in upbringing children to be educated and responsible citizens.

Boikhutso school head, Ms Marea Nkanga, said the prize giving event was meant to encourage and motivate pupils to take education seriously and work hard to reap good results. 

She said her school overall pass rate in 2014 Junior Certificate examinations stood at 84.2 per cent with a quality pass rate of 46.5 per cent. 

The quality pass rate represented those who obtained merit, A and B. 

She said in the 2015 final examinations the overall pass rate stood at 82.4 per cent with a quality pass rate of 47.5. ENDS