10 Jan 2023

Today ushered  in a new dawn in the school  calendar as for  the  first  time  this year, school bells rang to usher in a new academic year

For the standard ones, a pervasive sense of disquiet ran through their nerves as the day marked the beginning of a journey that could determine their future.

On the  contrary, it  was a joyous reunion  for the returning students who  spent close to six weeks  in the  absence  of each other’s  company.
It was on this background that BOPA took off to some of the schools around Gaborone to get a glimpse of the first school calendar day.

Mogoditshane Primary School head teacher, Mr Samuel Setuke said in an interview that the first term always presented various challenges.

“It is  worth  noting  that  Mogoditshane Primary School is  one  of  the  oldest  schools  in the  region, hence  always  experience an  influx  of standard one applicants, which  results  in overcrowding of both pupils  and guardians every  first  day  of the  term,”Mr Setuke said.

The  overcrowding, he said,  impacted on the pupil -teacher contact  time  that  should  primarily  be  established  and  cemented  during  the  first day at school

Similarly, Bophirima  Primary  School  head teacher, Ms Mango Mogotsi stated that the school was experiencing  high  applications of pupils transfer ins,  which she said  could  be  due  to the  school  proximity  to Gaborone West  neighbourhood.

“One  should be  cognizant  of the  fact that  the school is  in the heart  of Gaborone  West hence the  high  number  of transfer ins  applications,” she said . ENDS