24 Feb 2020

Molepolole schools management teams have told area MPs that unless solutions to  predicaments facing government schools were found, improved academic performance would remain a formidable task.

This emerged last Friday during a meeting jointly organised by Molepolole North and South legislators, Messers Oabile Regoeng and Kabo Morwaeng to get a briefing on impediments leading to declining academic performance in the schools.

The teams, under the leadership of Kweneng regional education acting director Ms Cecilia Sunday, outlined factors such as absence of infrastructural development, indiscipline among students, over-enrolment, centralised powers leading to demoralisation all of which negatively impacted on   academic performance.

She said performance of schools in the district was appalling especially in secondary schools while primary schools were reportedly promising despite the challenges.

Over-enrolment, she explained,  had compelled schools to introduce porta cabins as a way, a move which appeared extremely inadequate.

She assured the teams planned to work with high performance schools to benchmark on how best they can improve.

Kgari  Sechele Senior School head Mr Andrew Kolagano concurred that centralised powes drastically hampered decision making at district level.

 “I have problem with the fact that centralization issue was never made practical but it is something that has been preached without being practiced,” he said.

He said  red tape hampered planning processes which could be the responsibility of managers at district level to expedite development processes to curb the returning of unutilised development funds when needs in schools remains dire.

Ms Gloria Gaetsewe of Dithejwane Junior School decried the ever increasing enrolment of students while teachers and school infrastructure were stagnant.
Maintenance alone could not help, she said.

Boitshoko Junior School head Mr Kgosi Gaetsewe, said indiscipline was rife at the school last year.

Bonewamang Primary School head Mr Radikgobati, said the school’s special class for children with disabilities was not user friendly.

He called for the school’s relocation to an area conducive for both learners and teachers.  

Responding to issues raised the 19 schools MP Morwaeng, also Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration requested that comprehensive reports about status of each school be submitted by February 27.

He said mindset change was required to turn Kweneng District around.

“We promise to act accordingly in consultation with education ministry to have at least some of the issues addressed,” he stated.

For his part, Mr Regoeng said their intension was to help deal with issues hampering academic performance and teachers’ welfare

He encouraged teachers to remain loyal and committed to the responsibility bestowed upon them and not to despair. ENDS