20 May 2018

Shashe River Senior Secondary School head, Mr Mpaladzi Majingo has expressed concern about acts of immorality perpetrated by students on the school premises.

In an interview, Mr Majingo, who joined the school last year, said some students smoked marijuana while others watched pornographic videos.

When questioned, non-boarding students admitted to buying marijuana in the village and bringing it to school where they smoked with others.

In a similar case, a boarding student brought a laptop which was used to watch pornography in the male dormitories.

Mr Majingo said he realised the seriousness of the matter when the laptop owner was expelled from boarding.

His accomplices, who were later also expelled, snuck out of school at night to join him in watching pornographic videos at his residence.

Another cause for concern was loitering of students at the bus rank after school, which he said stopped only after police, following consultation with school authorities, started patrolling the bus rank.

Mr Majingo said authorities were also troubled by instances where students came to school without books while others did not come at all, but left their homes under the pretext that they were going to school.

He said with the advice of Tonota police, three different groups of students accompanied by parents, were taken to Seroto Customary Court for corporal punishment.

“The primary objective of being in school is for academic purposes and it is very worrisome and disheartening for students to give priority to things which could deprive them of their future,” he said.

Mr Majingo said such behaviour contributed to the decline in academic performance.

“The results of the school were not pleasing. But we have picked up, moving six places from position 24 to 18,” said Mr Majingo.

The school head pleaded with parents to take responsibility for their children’s academic performance, advising them to check their children’s school work as well as visiting school to inquire about their performance and behaviour.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Lesitamang Molebedi of Seroto Customary Court confirmed that 11 male and three female Shashe River students were brought before court in 2017 for smoking marijuana while this year 15 male students appeared for watching pornography and seven for smoking marijuana.

He decried the involvement of youth in criminal activities and appealed to parents to talk to their children about the consequences of peer pressure and unlawful behaviour.

Kgosi Molebedi also expressed concern about the mushrooming of alcohol depots in homes, which he blamed for the prevailing unacceptable behaviour in the village.

He cited the case of some Ipelegeng employees who got drunk before going to  receive their wages only to later insult BotswanaPost staff. ENDS