15 Feb 2017

 - Longstanding issues such as teenage pregnancy and failure to check pupils’ progress at school by parents continue to trouble the Ministry of Basic Education as they hinder academic excellence.
Speaking at a Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting addressed by some senior education managers in the Kweneng region, principal education officer, Mr Modibedi Tlhankane encouraged parents to monitor their children’s performance saying that can help keep students on their feet.
“Taking part in the education of your children is an investment into their future, and also in your welfare as a parent because these students will upon working provide for you,” he said.
Mr Tlhankane said issues that affected education such as abuse may exist either at school or at home, thus constant meeting between the two could help identify and address them.
He also said they were not happy with the flactuating performance of Serinane Primary School.
Ms Thuso Mothibiwatsone, also a PEO commended Serinane parents for enrolling their children for reception classes in high numbers throughout the years.
She was however concerned about lack of monitoring by parents when students transited to higher classes.
Another PEO, Mr Molefe Mongale reiterated his colleagues’ advice, saying students normally exploited the vacuum between parents and teachers if they noticed that their parents never cared to visit schools.
Mr Mongale said they were planning to introduce parents’ visitor logbooks in schools so that they can monitor how  they were active in checking progress of their children.
However, he advised that visitations be done on allocated days to avoid disrupting classes.
Meanwhile, parents appreciated the meeting, saying it  had instilled in them the need tos be involved in the education of their children.ENDS