20 Jun 2013

Betesankwe Primary School in the Ngwaketse West constituency aims to upgrade the 89 per cent pass rate achieved in last year’s Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE).

Speaking in an interview, deputy school head, Ms Ontebile Phiri said their aim was to perform better than they did last year, a result she added had seen them obtaining second position in the region. As such, she said in their effort to achieve the target, they had set up a library where students would research and read more to improve their studies.

On challenges they were faced with, she said they experienced a number of dropouts where some students either decided to just stay home, work in farms or due to pregnancy. She explained that some students were also engaged in relationships, which she said resulted in pregnancy because some of them were of above normal primary school age.

However, she noted that the school was working hand in hand with relevant authorities to have pupils who have dropped out of school back at school to continue with their studies. Among their challenges, she said, were low the number of students who had to return for afternoon classes.

That, she said, was because some of them came from poor families hence turned up in empty stomachs. To address the situation, the deputy school head said they had requested that pupils be provided with two meals from the school.

She also expressed concern about poor attendance of meetings by parents. “Most of them would opt to just sit home than come to the school to discuss pertinent issues that affect their children’s education. ENDS