23 Feb 2014

The Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development Mr Patrick Masimolole has said the 2013 Junior Certificate results are very poor and do not meet their expectations given the interventions that were implemented.

Responding to a question from the Member of Parliament for Shoshong, Mr Phillip Makgalemele over the poor results, Mr Masimolole said the interventions might have come late to the learners who were doing Form 1 at the time of the strike.He said the learners lost a lot of time and although teachers were given over time to cover the lost time, the damage had already been done.

Another contributory factor, he said was the increase in social ills confronting learners, some perpetuated by adults such as the use of alcohol and drugs.The assistant minister said the number of private candidates also increased from 1054 to 2140.

He said some of the students who enrolled in Back-to-School programme might have written their examinations without proper preparations, especially those who were not enrolled in formal schools.Mr Masimolole said Junior Secondary Schools are also in deplorable state especially science laboratories which started to be used as base classrooms in the 1990s.

Currently, he said, the laboratories are rehabilitated and additional classrooms are built to avoid the repeat.He said interventions included involving communities through organisations such as Parents Teachers Association PTA, mentors, traditional leadership and local government.

Tests for students have been introduced in first and second terms, including mock examinations and performance reviews are undertaken while excellent performance is rewarded with prizes and promotions, he said.Parliament heard that students are encouraged to undertake an early morning study meant to encourage a culture of reading, to instill discipline and prepare for beginning of lessons.

He noted that levels of operations have improved the teacher welfare and moral.The ministry has purchased houses to accommodate teachers and there are also motivational talks to address both learners and teachers, he added.Mr Masimolole further said they have introduced a turnaround strategy through Education and Training Sector Strategy Plan (ETSSP) interventions. ENDS