04 Sep 2018

Chobe District Council chairperson, Mr Paul Chabaesele has encouraged teachers to continue working hard towards attaining quality education despite the challenges they encounter.

Speaking at Liswaani Junior Secondary School prize giving ceremony on Friday, Mr  Chabaesele said the government was aware of the welfare challenges that public service was faced with, hence the anticipated review of the Public Service Act aimed at addressing critical issues.

He noted that as part of improving the public service welfare, Permanent Secretary to the President recently issued a directive aimed at ensuring spouses dis not work far from each other. 

Mr Chabaesele urged students to be dedicated to their studies and utilise internet to augment what they have been taught in class. 

He said for quality education to be attained there is need for all stakeholders to work as a team and he raised a concern about parents who fail to attend PTA meetings. 

Mr Chabaesele said excellence should not only recognised during prize giving ceremonies, but should  always be recognised in order to produce quality results. 

Chobe District regional operations director, Ms Lillian Matshameko noted that the prize giving was an important event in the school calendar as it encourages competitiveness on both the students and the teachers. 

Ms Matshameko said for students to excel they needed to introspect and continuously ask themselves what they want to be in the future, develop good character and to always have open mindset towards learning.

Earlier the school head, Ms Doreen Setlhare said since 2013 the school’s results had not been satisfactory, indicating that in 2013 it attained 31 per cent. 

She said in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 it attained 34.8, 33, 23.4 and 25 per cent respectively.

However, Ms Setlhare  said that the school was determined to work harder to exceed the 50 per cent target and she called on all stakeholders to come on board in order to attain the target. 

She indicated that despite the school not doing well one student was given an excellence award in Home Economics at regional level.

She further said the school was doing well in sports, citing that in 2015 and 2016 it scooped the volleyball championship in the country and two students brought a silver and gold medal in boxing at national level. 

Ms Setlhare thanked government for renovating the Science laboratory through the constituency fund.

She indicated that through the same fund the schools in the Enclave received a photocopier, which was only awaiting to be programmed before it starts operating. 

She said some of the challenges that the school encountered were; lack of transport that leads to failure to take ailing students to the clinic, especially during Malaria outbreaks.

On students’ behaviour, Ms Setlhare said the students were generally well disciplined except for a few cases. 

The theme of the prize giving ceremony was; Good Character, A Tool to Achieve Excellence”. Ends