02 Sep 2018

Teachers have been challenged to display high level of leadership so as to inspire students.

Acting President Mr Slumber Tsogwane said during Orapa Junior Secondary School 30th anniversary, prize giving ceremony and victory celebrations on August 31.

He stated that the importance of teachers’ leadership in achieving success could not be ignored, citing that teachers were charged with a lot of responsibilities, which entailed preparation of a learner in to a well-rounded individual.

Leadership, he said, entailed the ability to look forward, set objectives, mobilise resources, deploy resources optimally and set on a path to achieving positive results.

Mr Tsogwane said education had always been a vehicle of civility, eradication of poverty and disease.

Benefits of education, he said, could only be reaped if there was cooperation as well as appreciation of the role of every stakeholder in the value chain.

Parents, he noted, had the responsibility to instill a sense of purpose and responsibility on their children before they could even start schooling.

He indicated that parents must assist in mentoring their children in order for them to adopt desirable behaviours.

He observed that while the Advent of technology was a positive development, they equally posed a challenge as children may abuse the same technology.

Mr Tsogwane stated that students should play their part by unleashing their intellectual potential so that they could optimise the benefits of education.

Talent alone, he noted could not guarantee academic excellence and achievement, saying it needed to be coupled with values such as discipline and botho, which he said were necessary to keep one focused on set goals.

He said in the current era, the quality of products should be measured through quality of examination results achieved as well as the degree of mannerisms they portrayed.

He applauded Debswana for sponsoring specialist teaching staff in mathematics, science and English language.

The awards, he said, were meant to motivate best performers and encourage non-recipients of certificates to aim higher in their educational endeavour.

He said awards for best performers helped to motivate students and staff to unleash their full potential towards becoming responsible citizens of the world.

Mr Tsogwane said he was humbled to note that Orapa Junior Secondary School was a school of excellence in the region and beyond, saying the school had always emerged among the country’s top 10.

In 2015 and 2016 Orapa JSS took position two nationally and in 2017 the school was back on top as the number one school nationally.

Bank of Botswana deputy director Mr Goememang Baatlholeng, stated that it was important for a school to identify its stakeholders, and develop a strategy to cooperate with them to achieve its primary objectives.

He said Bank of Botswana considered itself a key stakeholder in the education system of Botswana, hence the establishment of a public education office which promotes outreach programmes for school children.

He said the office also produced educational material on money matters and always maintain educational stalls at national trade fairs or exhibition, where school children including the general public could learn about the bank’s role, activities and how they impact on domestic economy.

Mr Baatlholeng personally pledged a P10 000 donation to Orapa Junior Secondary School.

The school head Ms Koketso Seabe said the event helped to motivate learners who had not performed well to perform better in the next examination.

The theme for the event was ‘collaborating with stakeholders in moulding an agent of excellence in a 21st century learner’. ENDS