25 Oct 2016

The Letlhakeng Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Tlotlo Batlhopi has pleaded with councillors to assist in curbing the escalating incidences of school drop-outs in the area.

Officially opening the week long sub-council forum on Monday, Cllr Batlhopi said there were 76 drop outs in primary schools in the sub-district, with Dutlwe Primary School recording the highest rate at 15.

He said the junior schools in the area registered 54 drop outs, while Mahupu Unified School in Takatokwane registering 11 in the last quarter.

In the past, there were complaints by authorities that most parents in villages such as Maboane have a tendency of dropping their kids out of school to go and work at cattleposts and farms around the area.

On other issues of education, Cllr Batlhopi informed the councillors that last month a block of three dormitories which accommodated 33 learners burnt down at Lempu junior school in Salajwe, leaving 11 seriously affected as all their belongings got burnt.

He however said no injuries were reported as the incident happened when learners were away.

He said the Department of Social and Community Development has since provided clothing and uniform to the affected learners who have since been moved to a previously unoccupied block pending refurbishment.

Cllr Batlhopi also said the sub district has been allocated a total of 27 houses for Remote Area Dwellers (RADs) and 25 for non RADs to be constructed for destitute persons this financial year.

“It is worth noting that different units of houses are being provided for beneficiaries depending on the size of the family, the bigger the family the bigger the size of shelter to be provided.The houses are at various stages of implementation,” he said.

Concerning the Youth Development Fund (YDF), he informed councilors that loan collection is still a challenge as the beneficiaries do not comply with the Memorandum of Agreement on loan repayment.

He said beneficiaries use the fact that there is lack of a stringent measure of loan recovery by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development as a loophole to default or never pay at all, especially for collapsed or non-functional projects.

He said the Letlhakeng/Lephephe constituency had targeted to collect over P216 000 in recoveries, but that only around P47 000 was collected, leading to arrears of over P943 000. ENDS