12 Jan 2021

In an effort to address indiscipline among young people, Ngamiland traditional leaders have come up with a programme dubbed ‘Dikgosi dixhadile’ aimed to empower students with traditional values and principles.

 In an interview with the programme’s chairperson, Kgosi Babinang Majatsie, he explained that traditional leaders were concerned about issues of indiscipline among young people, especially learners.

 He said students were shunning traditional moral values and resorting to practices which ended up destroying their future citing dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy as well as drug and substance abuse. 

 Customary courts, he said, were overwhelmed with cases of criminal activities involving young people such as alcohol and drug abuse, insults, assaults and other criminal activities.

  Kgosi Majatsie said traditional leaders were also concerned about poor academic performance stating that lack of parental guidance, and support including  degeneration of morals were some of the contributing factors.

  Turning to the programme, he said it was born out of a resolution to address challenges faced by young people, especially the girl child.

  Kgosi Majatsie said the plan was to embark on a campaign themed ‘Chencha monyana’ targeting junior and secondary schools across the district to address learners on principles of botho, instilling discipline and to encourage them to take education seriously.

  The first phase of the programme, would start in schools under Maun Administrative Authority followed by the second to be conducted  in the Okavango Sub-district, he explained.

   The campaign is scheduled for launching today at Maun Senior Secondary School ending at  Tsodilo Junior Secondary School on February 4. 

  It will encompass a weekly community outreach, visits to clinics and individual households.

 The programme also aims at encouraging adoption of schools where people would come on board and partner with schools and teach pupils  about good morals as well as to be parental figures and role models for the learners.

 Dikgosi also intend to engage parents through kgotla meetings to be held fortnightly during which they would discuss different topics such as parent-child communication and mobilize all to join forces in the upbringing of the children.

   Kgosi Majatsie expressed optimism that at the end the programme, a safe and conducive environment for young people would have been created.

   “We hope that our efforts will bear positive fruits because our aim is to instill a good culture of children upbringing because we want our children to grow into responsible citizens,” he said. Ends