12 May 2025

Kgosi Oscar Mosielele of Moshupa has reiterated the importance of academic achievements saying successful learners exhibit self discipline and responsible behaviour.

He was speaking at the stakeholder engagement pitso hosted by Diratsame II Junior Secondary School attended by the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), male learners and some members of the community in order to address the issue of delinquent behaviour among the boy child, which affect their academic performance.

Therefore, he reminded them that their primary purpose in school was to learn and that they should avoid the behaviour that could hinder their academic success. He highlighted drug abuse as a significant crisis hindering academic performance, particularly among pupils, whose bodies were still developing.

He also advocated for the principles of upright behaviour, Botho, as essential for guiding the youth in their daily lives, reminding them that, as Batswana, the concept of Botho helped individuals to distinguish right from wrong.

School Head, Ms Grace Badisang explained that the pitso was a follow-up to their previous meeting with Kgosi Mosielele, where they discussed the significant academic achievements of the 2024 Junior Certificate Examinations  (JCE)candidates. She revealed that the school ranked fourth in the Southern region, with the boys’ poor performance being a major concern and linked to delinquent behaviour.

Ms Badisang provided statistics indicating that for the 2024 JCE, the overall learner performance was at 48.8 per cent, with boys contributing only 36.7 per cent, while girls achieved 59.8 per cent.  She asserted that the school’s potential for a higher ranking could have been realised had the boys performed better academically.

She further presented a detailed analysis of the current Form three learners’ performance in mid-year and final examinations saying the mid-year examinations showed a 37.4 per cent success rate overall, with boys at 18.8 per cent and girls at 51.8 per cent. 

In the final examinations, she said the overall performance rose to 49.5 per cent, with boys achieving 42.7 per cent and girls obtaining 56.3 per cent. Despite an improvement in boys’ performance in the latter examinations, girls continued to outperform boys significantly, a trend that the school aims to address.

Ms Badisang also shared that the current form two learners had a mid-year average of 38.3 per cent, with boys scoring 19.1 per cent and girls 53.9 per cent. The end-of-year average further declined to 34 per cent, with boys at seven per cent and girls at 27 per cent.

In light of the challenges posed by the boys’ poor academic performance, Ms Badisang noted that the school had prioritised discipline and implemented a learner leadership programme to promote peer learning.

Meanwhile, the school has partnered with former First Lady Neo Masisi, who has pledged P10 000 for pupils achieving merit and P5 000 for those earning an A for the award ceremony scheduled for May 15, with Kgosi Mosielele also committing P3 000 to support academic excellence. ENDS