24 Jan 2017

Tsodilo Junior Secondary School teachers are  living in fear of unruly students who are in the habit of smoking marijuana and misbehaving during classes.

This came to light during the orientation ceremony held for the new form one students in Maun recently.

The former school head, Mr Katjitewe Kandapaera, who left Tsodilo JSS recently on transfer, blamed the school’s bad results on the unruly behaviour of students who were usually high on drugs.

“We are faced with a difficult situation in this school as students are not cooperating with teachers and are not willing to learn,” Mr Kandapaera said.

He therefore urged parents to take keen interest in their children’s school work, saying that would reduce their chances of joining groups of bad students who sometimes brought sharp objects such as knives to school.

Mr Kandapaera added that some students would leave their homes only to join out of school youth on their way and bunk classes.

As such, he encouraged parents to work together with teachers to check progress on their children’s school work. That, he added would benefit the school and lead to better results.

Further, he indicated that the school had a bad reputation so much that some community members were not willing to enroll their children.

“I am sad to tell you that there are some of the parents who contribute to ill behaviour of students by selling them these drugs, and giving them to sell to others in the school campus,” he added.

Again, he encouraged parents to know how their children behaved both at home and at school given that a child would portray different behaviour at all times.

One of the teachers, who was allegedly beaten by a student who was suspected to have smoked marijuana, said parents should guide their children.

However, he expressed concern that some parents survived by selling marijuana and as such would even give it to their children to sell, something he said would in turn tempt them to test such drugs.

North West regional acting director, Mr Ookame Molapisi said in an interview that some students vandalised school property after getting high on drugs, adding “some even abstain from writing examinations because they know that they have spent three years misbehaving and doing drugs, and will be ashamed to get poor results. This ill behaviour has taken a different route as it had now affected even primary school pupils.”

Thus, he challenged both parents and teachers to work together to instill discipline on students as future leaders of the country.

He added that school initiatives like PACT and scouts must be revived and utilised because they equipped students with life skills.

Further, he said schools must strengthen regional competitions not only sport but also academics with incentives to motivate students.

He also suggested that such students who used to engage in drugs be used in schools to motivate others. BOPA