02 Jul 2019

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has attributed  the 100 per cent pass rate attained by Kajaja Primary School in the 2018 results to a strong relationship among stakeholders.

Speaking during the Shakawe region school’s celebration of the 2018 Primary Leaving School Examination (PSLE) performance, the President observed that the community, Parents Teachers’ Association and the school had built a strong relationship which had produced the excellent resutls.

He praised the Kajaja community for actively participating in their children’s education.

The satellite school, which started operating in 2014, snatched position one in last year’s PSLE results, beating 17 other schools in the Shakawe sub-region.

Boasting 157 learners of standard one up to seven, the school managed an 80 per cent A, B pass rate with only two learners obtaining grade C.

The school, made up of reed structures, started with an enrolment of 52 standard one, two and three pupils.

Children should be moulded into responsible citizens capable of contributing meaningfully to the economy and creating employment opportunities for others, a feat possible through education, he said.

Dr Masisi said government wanted all children to have access to education and took a deliberate decision to construct the satellite school while awaiting funds to construct a fully fledged institution.

He said he appreciated that children travelled long distances to school in areas where elephants roamed freely.

Prior to the establishment of the school, children were travelling up to 18 km daily to attend in Sepopa and Nxamasere.

Following parents’ pleas for a local institution, the Okavango Sub-district Council and the Maun regional education office joined efforts to make the school  a reality despite there being no budget.

President Masisi urged the community to continue supporting the school to ensure pupils were taught in an enabling environment.

He said he was happy to learn that the school had acquired a plot to build a fully-fledged school.

Teachers, he said,  were critical in achieving the dream of transforming into a knowledge based economy.

Dr Masisi said teachers’ welfare should therefore be a priority. 

He revealed that government intended to connect Information Communication Technology (ICT) services in all schools to enhance teaching and learning.

To pupils, President Masisi thanked them for showing commitment to their studies.

“These pupils are very ambitious and as I interacted with some of them it was clear that they aimed high,” he said.

Earlier, the school head Mr Keneilwe Banks said when it started operating, there were uncertainties as to whether the school would produce good results.

He said the staff, comprising  three teachers, set itself two objectives, producing knowledge based learners and globally competitive learners.

They worked hard and later appealed to government to upgrade the school to Standard Seven, he said.

The school now has eight teachers, four are hired on temporary basis, Mr Banks said.

He assured the President that they would maintain the standard as they aimed to produce highly educated pupils who could even fit in English medium schools.

The area MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone, thanked the President for being part of those who witnessed the good achievement attained by the school.

He also thanked the government for the developments taking place in the Okavango District.

Mr Arone, who is the minister in the Ministry of Basic Education, said they would continue with efforts to ensure pupils accessed education nearby.

Another satellite school has been constructed at Xhaoga while services would be extended to Mowana, Tsodilo, Mohembo East and Tobega, Minister Arone said. Ends