13 Aug 2017

Director of education in the southern region Mr Acronews Maseko has expressed worry over the declining academic results in the region,  especially schools in Kanye. 

Mr Maseko requested  parents and teachers association members from different schools to join hands and come up with initiatives to improve grades.

He was speaking at a breakthrough fair for Setswana and English projects held at Ketlogetswe Memorial Primary School in Kanye recently.

‘’I am confident that this trend, however modest, will continue steadily into the future at a greater pace,” he said, adding that the ministry was working round the clock to address any inaccuracies that could have occurred and to ensure that history would not repeat itself. 

Mr Maseko stated that their wish as the ministry was to see performance improving, which he said could only be achieved by partnering with parents.

He said education was a basic foundation for the progress of society and the state shall seek to ensure, foster and endeavour to spread it, adding that it needed the aspirations and abilities of individuals.

Mr Maseko stressed the importance  of grooming children from grass roots level as that would make it easier for teachers at junior and senior schools to pave their future and deal with education instead of  being drawn back to teach them manners.

‘’It is imperative that we all commit ourselves to the ambitious goals of this strategy and exert the best efforts to make it a reality,’’ said Mr Maseko.

He appealed to junior teachers to be supportive of their school heads to improve the quality of education, adding that their temperament, ability to stay focused and not be distracted by trivial things, commitment to work even harder and choice of appropriate career were crucial elements for the future development of the country

Mr Maseko said strategic plan offered diverse areas to realise teachers’ full potential and prepare them for success in a changing world that witnesses a considerable increase in complex technical requirements, in addition to enabling them to participate in international competitiveness.

He said besides the current factors that might have impacted on poor results like maintenance of school facilities and teachers welfare, it was important that all forces came on board to help students perform better.

The director called on all parents to groom their children to become responsible citizens and create a beneficial learning environment for them to excel in their academics.

He underscored the importance of recognising outstanding performance in the three levels of basic education while  emphasising on government’s commitment to support the course.

The objective of the fair was to exchange ideas among teachers of various schools.

Principal education officer, Ms Khumo Manyegape noted that the fair was a benchmarking exercise of schools on others who were succeeding in improving performance. ENDS