19 Jul 2017

Matsha College school head, Mr Tshokologo Dineo has given a testimony of the boot camp which was held in April and May 2017.
Speaking during the boot camp certificates ceremony in Kang recently, he said the boot camp had achieved its purpose of building the character of Matsha College students, instilling discipline and spiritually uplifting them.

Mr Dineo said it was evidenced by the decline in the number of disciplinary cases they were handling at the school. “Our students now have a sense of urgency, they know that they must be at the right place at the right time, they double up whenever it is necessary,’’ he said.

He also noted that the cleanliness of the school environment had improved. Mr Dineo further noted that students now took their leadership role seriously. He added that they were more conforming to rules and regulations, and were less anti-social and enjoyed working with others.

The school head said they had adopted the system of morning prayers that were conducted by Spiritual Union Botswana during the course of the boot camp, and that they have turned it into weekly Sunday prayers to help in the spiritual upliftment of students.

“All these positive aftermath are presumably due to the highly structured and well-disciplined boot camp atmosphere, and I am delighted to confess in no uncertainty terms that it is transforming Matsha back to its glory and golden era,’’ he said.

However, Mr Dineo noted that there were a few juveniles who seemed not to have learnt anything from the boot camp.         

“These are students who are involved in love affairs, theft and Satanist activities, but we are watching these culprits with keen interest,’’ he said.

Lone Brandly and Laone Leitshamo, two of the students who took part in the boot camp, confessed that they had learnt time management, self-awareness and self-control. They commended the scouts and the police for instilling discipline in them and that they have improved their mental skills.

“The boot camp has increased my self-esteem, improved coping skills, and I am now more inclined to provide help to other students,” said Laone.

For his part, Kang Village Development Committee chairperson, Major General Gobuwamang Tlhokwane said that the goal of the boot camp was to instil Botho. He said if students did not learn life skills they should at least be moulded into disciplined, honest, diligent, courageous, compassionate and respectful citizens. He applauded Mr Dineo and his team for building a positive institutional image of Matsha College and turning it into a school of choice. BOPA