17 Oct 2018

Following realisation that government, through Ministry of Basic Education, was failing to do cyclic maintenance for schools as per schedule of every five years, government then decided to give schools funds to do their maintenance.

This was shared by the director regional operation for central region Mr Sonny Mooketsi at Sua Junior Secondary School’s 30^th anniversary celebration in Nata recently.

Mr Mooketsi said for the 2018/2019 financial year, the school was given half a million pula budget to carry out maintenance of facilities by prioritising areas that needed urgent attention.

He nonetheless pointed out they have since realised that schools management across the country were not utilising the funds and the ministry was receiving complaints of schools being in bad states including  Sua school.

He thus appealed to the school management to make use of the budget to carry out the maintenance, adding although that there had been arrangement for backlog eradication through the Economic Stimulus Programme.

He however said there were some delays in that regard, hence schools were encouraged to use what they had been given.

On other issues, Mr Mooketsi stated that they had tasked schools to share their academic results on termly basis and to take their national examination results to the village to be reviewed by all stakeholders in the community. 

This, he said, was part of efforts to ensure that all stakeholders are on board to improve the results of all schools.

Briefing on the school’s performance for Junior Certificate results, he said the school had been doing badly and as the regional leadership they had, at the beginning of the year, visited the school management and teaching staff to discuss the bad results.

He therefore expressed hope that this year’s results would show a great improvement.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Letsogo Kgaswa of Nata raised a concern that pupils usually performed well in Primary School Leaving Examination and progress to junior schools only to fail the Junior Certificate examinations.

Kgosi Kgaswa said the few that would have progressed to senior secondary show a great improvement with a good number proceeding to tertiary institutions.

He expressed the need for education management to put their focus on junior schools.

Briefing on the school status, school head Mr Bontsibokae Kgosidintsi said the school had an enrolment of 579 with each class having about 50 pupils, which had resulted in classroom shortage.

He explained that when the school opened its doors in 1988, it was a six-stream school and over the years it has grown to 12 streams, hence half of the classes are taught in outdoor facilities or anywhere they can get space.

This situation, he said, contributed to the school’s poor performance since some pupils are taught in places where the teachers cannot demonstrate work on chalk boards. ENDS