18 Mar 2019

 Ghanzi East Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Dichaba Thupe, says poor academic performance by orphan and vulnerable children as well as Rural Area Dwellers (RADs) pupils needs urgent attention.

Addressing the sub-council recently, he expressed concern that orphaned and vulnerable children as well as RADs pupils continued to perform below average, saying of the 168  who sat for junior certificate last year, 30 proceeded to Form 4. 

“Of the 30 who proceeded, three got grade C while 26 proceeded with grade D and the only pupil who got grade B could not continue with her education due to pregnancy ” Mr Thupe stated. 

He said the situation relegated the 138 pupils who did not proceed to Form 4 to the streets, something that could perpetuate the vicious circle of poverty. 

Nonetheless, Mr Thupe  said all was not lost since 32 RADs and 19 orphaned and vulnerable children got placements in some vocational schools. 

Mr Thupe also said malnutrition in the sub-district stood at 14 per cent and hard hit areas were Grootlaagte, Kuke and Bere.

Assistant district officer for development, Ms Dorothy Hobona said malnutrition remained a challenge having risen by two per cent from the previous quarter.

Ms Hobona noted that poor infant feeding and poor home management by the care givers were major contributing factors. 

She said the office had introduced community based integrated early childhood development intervention to improve nutritional outcomes and cognitive development.

She also decried high teenage pregnancy in the sub-district. ENDS