Lobatse student scoops golden star award
Keikantse Lesemela | Monday July 14, 2014 16:31
He received a cheque of P20,000 from President Ian Khama on Friday at Boipuso Hall, where the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) convened the awards ceremony for the top achievers in the Form Five exams.
Goveya said at the event that although he failed to qualify for the Golden Star award at Junior Certificate Exams, he took this as motivation. “My struggle was my motivation, I was tired of the hard life and I had to make a break,” he said. He encouraged other youngsters to be focused. Goveya passed his Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education with eight A stars. He wants to study Chemical Engineering or Actuarial Science after his A levels in Bellerbeys College, the United Kingdom.
Other award winners included Diane Onalethata from Good Hope Senior School who received a cheque of P5,000 and Karabo Sankoloba from Mater Spei College who got P10,000 in ministerial award.
Speaking at the ceremony, Khama said the awards represent an acknowledgement that excellence should be recognised and celebrated.
“The purpose is not only to recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding performers, but also to serve as encouragement to those who may not be doing so well to do better. While very few receive these awards, others out there aspire to receive them the next time,” he said.
He said the ceremony provides an opportunity to celebrate outstanding performance of schools and Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs).
“With the expanded mandate of the Botswana Examinations Council in future, there will be opportunity to also celebrate outstanding performance in the technical and vocational education and training sector,” said Khama.
He explained that this year’s excellence awards are very important because they come against the backdrop of the poor performance in examinations.
“The decline is not only experienced in Botswana but it is a global phenomenon experienced by different countries due to a variety of factors,” he said.
He urged BEC and the Ministry of Education Skills and Development (MOESD) to work closely to “ensure that curriculum is delivered properly, within a conducive teaching and learning environment, and that it relates directly to assessment”.
With support from the European Union, the MOESD is finalising a strategic plan to transform the education sector in Botswana. BEC has also begun a transformation exercise that will see it turn into a high performance National Assessment Authority by 2016 through an Act of Parliament. The transformation will produce a national assessment policy to assist in monitoring learning at critical points in general education. This will be done through programmes such as national assessment to provide general system level feedback.