10 Mar 2021

Selebi Phikwe Secondary Schools (SPSS)’s top achiever cites discipline and determination as recipes for his success.

Mr Tefo Kepaletswe managed to get nine A* and a B in a year characterised by challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant lockdowns and restrictions.

Mr Kepaletswe explained that he resorted to self-help during the lockdown, saying he did not fold his hands during the lockdown to wait for schools to re-open but I utilised the time to study.

He said the lockdown impacted negatively on his results, noting that he failed to finish his art project hence he got a B.

He said when study groups were prohibited to comply with COVID-19 protocols, he utilised past examination papers and YouTube videos to revise. He also assigned himself extra work to do on his own and had teachers check it, explaining that he had self-believe and that giving up was not part of his DNA.

Although he said he did better than he had anticipated, Mr Kepaletswe has always been a top achiever as evidenced by his results at both primary and junior secondary school.

It is said that he wept after receiving his JCE results and found that he had gotten a D in one subject.

He demanded that his script be remarked as he believed there was a mistake, and it turned out to be true.

 He proceeded to SPSS without a blight on his impressive track record.

Now that his next challenge has been set, Mr Kepaletswe said he planned to enroll for  A levels in June to pave the way for him to pursue Actuarial Science, a course he said he had been researching for the past four years.

Cognizant of the fact that it is a challenging path, as it will be the first time he will be on his own, the young man said he was ready.

“I know what lies ahead for me and I am ready to face and take on the world,” said the soft spoken young man.

His advice to other pupils was to stay focused despite all the challenges. He said if any pupil found themselves on isolation, they should view it as an opportunity to do productive work.

Furthermore, he advised young people not to succumb to pressure and to instead use their poverty as a source of motivation to aim for greatness.

He also urged young people to be wise when choosing friends.

He extended gratitude to his teachers, saying most of them were prepared to go the extra mile in helping them achieve their results.

He noted that some sacrificed their time to meet up with pupils on weekends.

He also said the school management was instrumental in his success.        

SPSS school head, Mr Abraham Senabye expressed excitement about Mr Kepaletswe performance and that of the school.

“We are very much excited, in fact we had anticipated this result for Tefo looking at his track record,” said Mr Senabye.

He said the school’s results were satisfactory as they were amongst the top five nationally although they could do much better than the 27.67 per cent pass rate.

He attributed the good results to a culture of excellence in Selebi Phikwe schools, adding that the culture was entrenched in each primary to senior schools. He also noted  the good results that came out of the town in recent years.

Mr Senabye also explained that as key players in the education sector, they liaised with other stakeholders to map strategies to keep the momentum going.

“We have a very active PTA and the parents are supportive,” he said, adding that the school was also fortunate to have an active alumni, which he himself was part of.

He said being a former SPSS pupil, he felt a sense of obligation to maintain the school’s excellence.

He highlighted the support of the school alumni as imperative in achieving good results.ENDS