28 May 2026

The educational performance in the Tsabong District remains a major cause for concern, prompting local leadership to issue an urgent call for reflection, strategy overhaul, and collective responsibility among all stakeholders. 

Addressing a full council meeting in Tsabong recently, Tsabong District Council chairperson, Mr Elias Motlhanke, painted a worrying picture of the academic landscape, revealing that school performance indicators had drastically fallen short of set targets. 

According to Mr Motlhanke who is also councilor for Khawa Ward, the Quarter three results for the Junior Certificate Examinations (JCE) recorded an average of only 26.8 per cent Minimum Acceptable Pass Mark(MABC), a steep decline against the district’s set target of 40 per cent. 

The academic distress is even more pronounced at a higher level at Tsabong Unified Senior Secondary School (TUSS), where results stood at a mere 8.8 per cent for learners achieving six C’s or better. 

This falls critically short of the 25 per cent target designated for the region. 

“This decline challenges school leadership, staff, and the Regional Office to reflect, strategise, and intensify efforts to improve results. Education is a shared responsibility, and success would only come through collective effort,” Mr Motlhanke stated, emphasising that the burden does not rest solely on educators.  He said it called on councillors, parents, learners and stakeholders to play their part in supporting interventions that would raise academic standards. 

Despite the discouraging statistics, the chairperson highlighted ongoing remedial initiatives designed to salvage the academic futures of struggling youth. Chief among these is Project Bula Buka, a national ‘second chance’ educational pathway initiative designed to absorb out-of-school youth back into the learning system. 

Mr Motlhanke reported that seven learners from the Tsabong sub-region, who obtained Grade D in their 2025 JCE results, have successfully enrolled in the academic pathway programme. Preparations for the cohort have progressed rapidly, with teacher induction conducted on April 22, followed by a joint induction session for both learners and teachers on April 23. 

To solidify the foundation of this intervention, a collaborative meeting with parents is scheduled to take place soon. Classes for the newly enrolled learners officially commenced on April 27 at Tsabong Primary School. Their registration details have already been forwarded to the Ministry Headquarters for official enrollment with the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) ahead of the 2026 JCE examinations. 

In tandem with academic pathways, the district is also heavily investing in character development and psycho-social interventions. 

The Council Chairman noted that a specialised student boot camp was successfully hosted at Kgolagano Junior Secondary School on April 20.  Led by a team of officers under the guidance of the Assistant Director, the boot camp aimed to instill firm discipline, motivate learners, and inspire them to strive for better academic outcomes. 

Reflecting on the financial year that ended on March 31, Mr Motlhanke praised the Tsabong District Council’s resilience and fiscal prudence in the face of ongoing economic hardships. ENDS