16 Sep 2019

The 73.9 per cent pass rate attained by Meepong Junior Secondary School in the 2018 Junior Certificate examinations has been attributed to the involvement and support of parents, teachers and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the excellence award ceremony in Selebi Phikwe, the SPEDU chief executive officer, Dr Mukubung Mukubung said that the success of any school depended on the extent to which stakeholders were involved, individually and collectively in planning and implementing school programmes.

“I believe that it is through the unity of all stakeholders that the education of our children will bear fruits for them, us and the nation at large,” said Dr Mukubung.

He commended parents who take active part in the education of their children and added that children needed the presence of their parents more than gifts.

Furthermore, he advised students to remain focused, set targets for themselves and work hard to achieve them.

He pledged P10 000 towards the school to motivate students.

The school head, Ms Dorcus Olebile said Meepong was one of the best performing schools nationally. She highlighted that even though the school did well, it was not satisfactory as the school dropped from 75 per cent in 2017 to 73 per cent last year.

“Here at Meepong, we do not believe in luck. Luck does not exist, you have to sweat to earn good results,” she said.

Ms Olebile said that as a school they had learnt that academic performance could only be attained if all stakeholders played their role accordingly.

“We pride ourselves with the cordial relationship that prevails between staff and students, teachers and parents hence the theme; Parents, Teachers, Stakeholders Involvement and Participation: key to Quality Academic Excellence,” she said.

On extra-curricular activities, she said the school already had 20 students who competed at national level and brought back with them trophies and medals.

Ms Olebile also praised Meepong students for their good behaviour and added that the students were very supportive of each other, both academically and socially.

“The students do take responsibility in lending a helping hand to less privileged fellow students,” she said.

She said despite the good results, the school faced a number of challenges such as alcohol abuse, adding that she was optimistic that the problem would be addressed.

Ms Olebile also cited the closure of BCL mine as a challenge as some children had been left behind in the hostels to fend for themselves. ENDS