22 Feb 2018

Lotsane Secondary School has recorded a slight improvement in the just released BGCSE results, moving from position eight in 2017 to position six.

The school attained 32 per cent pass rate from 29.4 in 2017, making a value addition of 2.5 per cent. It has also attained position one in the central region, beating the 12 senior schools in the region.

The school head, Mr Khangelani Tshebo said in an interview that the 2.5 per cent improvement came as a result of the effort, dedication and determination of the school community.

He noted that Lotsane had 250 students who scored five Cs or better in the 2016 examinations, but that the number increased to 289 students this year, saying it was a commendable effort by both teachers and students.

“I am proud that we managed to move from position eight to position six,” he said.

Mr Tshebo said the school had been performing poorly in the past years, but managed to be in the top 10 in 2015 and producing the overall best student that same year. He said they aim to be the best in the country.

He attributed the 2.5 per cent improvement to the partnerships that the school has with stakeholders such as Morupule Coal Mine, Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, Botswana Public Employees Union and Charleston’s Academy in Scotland.

He said every two years, Lotsane students visited Charleston’s Academy students in Scotland in an exchange programme to share better learning and teaching skills.

The exchange programme, he said, had benefited the school  because the  students earned the ticket to Scotland based on  merit hence the need for them to work hard.

He said the school also emphasised on the four core subjects of English, mathematics, science and Setswana, adding that the subjects were important in shaping the students career.

In addition, Mr Tshebo said it was vital to give “the subjects more attention as they also contributed immensely on the school’s performance.”

He said teachers meet regularly to come up with better strategies to improve performance.

He said the best overall student at Lotsane attained 48 points with six A*.

However, he said more was needed to be done to improve  performance as 32 per cent was not impressive, saying the student/teacher ratio affected both both learning and teaching.

Mr Tshebo also commended teachers for supporting the school management and attending classes without fail.

He said teachers strived to finish the syllabus on time so that they could have ample time to revise with students.Ends