11 Sep 2017

Bokamoso school head, Ms Shirley Dipholo says boys at her school are giving her a headache.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting addressed by the area Member of Parliament, Mr Kagiso Molatlhegi over the weekend, Ms Dipholo explained that the school was inundated with criminal cases such as smoking of dagga, theft and bullying.

She said the future looked doom for many of the boys, who will be sitting for their Junior Certificate examinations beginning October 16.

The school head explained that there was no doubt that some of the students were involved in the current smash and grab incidents at Old Naledi, where valuable items such as laptops, cellphones and money were stolen at traffic lights.

To buttress her point, she stated that recently some of the boys were found in possession of expensive wrist watches amounting to P6 000 which they alleged to have stolen at the just ended Gaborone Consumer Trade Fair.

She explained that they only learnt about the crime after one of the students was caught selling one of the watches at a giveaway price of P20. The students were later apprehended by the police for theft.

She also explained that some students were also arrested after they stole some food items at Fairground Choppies Supermarket.

Mrs Dipholo further explained that recently, three boys were arrested and detained by Old Naledi police after being found in possession of dagga, which they alleged to have been given by a student of Nanogang JSS.

She added that most of the students are now addicted to drugs and alcohol and they are frequently absent from school.

Mrs Dipholo further explained that there is no guarantee that all the 328 Form Three students will write their final examinations because of this unbecoming behaviour.

However, she stated that according to her assessment, she expects some good results from those who will be sitting for their exams, predicting that 238 students would pass their exams while 128 may not make it to form four.

She said there was no hope that the current Form Two students would pass their exams next year unless parents join forces with the school management to improve on their studies.

She blamed parents for neglecting the education of their children, adding that parents did not attend PTA meetings, something which was of great concern.

She appealed to parents not to give their children large amounts of money because they used the money for other such as to buy drugs and alcohol.

On this note, the school head also appealed to parents to play parental role in the education of their children, adding that such behaviour amongst students, particularly boys, saying they copy from some residents of Old Naledi.

She added that 70 per cent of her students were from Old Naledi, which was an area infested with the culture of criminal activities.

For their part, some parents blamed some people who sold drugs to students, saying government should increase penalties for those who sold drugs to school going children.

They said most of the students spent their school time loitering in the village and that these were the same people who were involved in gangsterism and substance abuse.

Last month, residents of Old Naledi embarked on a walk against the rising criminal incidents bedevilling their community.

The walk was meant to sensitise the community on the dangers of this behaviour.Ends