28 Feb 2022

Even though the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) has noted a slight improvement of 0.03 per cent for grades C or better in government schools in 2021 as compared to the previous year, the appalling academic performance across the education sector continues to be a topical issue.

The debates have stirred conversations around contributory factors such as the pupils’ level of commitment, parental involvement and teachers’ dedication to the profession.

For the past two years, the general decline of school results has also been partly attributed to the effects of COVID-19, which resulted in the unplanned closure of schools on several occasions.

However, the lockdowns and school closure was a blessing in disguise for a certain Mr Ofentse Ramagapu, the second placed 2021 Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) top achiever.

The 19-year-old soft-spoken former Moshupa senior secondary school learner has not only defied the odds to emerge among the country’s crème de la crème.

He has also surpassed his expectations by obtaining 8A*s, a B and a C for his BGCSE examinations.

“When I started Form Four my plan was to finish the syllabus for Science subjects in the first year, so that I use the second year for revision only and continuing with other subjects.

Fortunately, the lockdowns worked in my favour as I had ample time to execute my plan.

While other learners were idle at home, I used the time to continue with topics that were not yet covered,” he explains.

As a ‘man’ on a mission, he dedicated his time to confronting new topics on his own, occasionally engaging his teachers for assistance. He scribbled his notes and set himself tests to gauge his level of understanding, and the teachers were equally eager to assist him achieve his goal.

His elder brother, Mr Kabelomodiri Ramagapu, who is a teacher at Thamaga, also played a pivotal role and offered support through sourcing printed material for him to study.

Even though he attributes his dedication, discipline and ultimate results to his family, he also acknowledges the input by another former Moshupa senior secondary school learner, Thabang Matale.

“He has always been my role model from the first day I got enrolled at a senior school.

When I first heard about his performance I already knew this is the person I wanted to meet and emulate.

Throughout my stay at a senior school I aspired to be at the top just like him, and I used to go to him for advice and mentoring,” he says.

Interestingly, unlike his peers whose lives revolve around technology and gadgets, the petite-sized Ofentse reveals he has never owned a mobile phone his whole life.

To him, it was more of self-discipline and eliminating anything that could derail his focus.

Thus, he has never felt the pressure to own electronic gadgets.

He also ensured that he kept his circle close, mostly made of study partners whose conversations centred around school work and church.

He is grateful to his mother for raising him the Christian way, which has so far kept him away from vices such as drug and alcohol use, which are currently a concern among his peers.

“My Christian upbringing contributed a lot to my level of discipline, therefore I was able to focus and ignore all that my age mates were engaging in.

To be honest, the fear of God is the one that sustains me, so I spend a lot of time studying the Bible as my guiding tool,” he explains.

However, as someone who is passionate about Science and has its subjects as his stronghold, he admits he might have not adequately balanced his time to accommodate the languages, hence grades B and C for Setswana and English respectively. Nonetheless, he intends to regroup as he prepares for A levels, which he automatically qualified for as a BEC-recognised top achiever, whose minimum requirement is 6A*s.

His ultimate dream is to join the world of Medicine, with a special field yet to be decided. ENDS