Eight Form Five retakes pregnant

Boniface Keakabetse | Monday August 18, 2014 15:47

 

Speaking in an interview with The Monitor, the Okavango legislator said; “I have a record that shows that eight of the students are pregnant. In fact I suspect there aremore.’ Arone attributed this to the government delay to act expeditiously and heed calls for the students to repeat as requested by himself and the Ngamiland community. Shakawe’s performance was said to be the worst in history.  From 628 students who sat for Botswana General Certificate Examinations at the school only less than 10% were eligible for tertiary admission. 

Following the release of the exam results, Arone pleaded with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to allow the students to repeat because the learning environment was not condusive.

The former Minister of Education Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi was however not interested, only for the acting education Minister  Mokgweetsi Masisi to approve the decision recently. Last week ministry officials concluded a marathon of Kgotla meetings throughout Ngamiland to furnish parents and students with details of how the repeat programme will happen. It was explained that the students have been admitted at Maun, Shakawe, Gantsi, Good Hope, Madiba and Maun secondary schools.

Arone, however, said the ministry played a costly hide and seek game with the student’s lives by failing to heed his request on time so that the students would have got an earlier opportunity to repeat. He also said there is a possibility that some failed students have found employment and would not return to school.

He also questioned the reliability of the ministry announcement during the meetings that it will provide free transportation for all the students to and from the schools during the holidays. He said in the past where the government committed itself to provide free transportation for communities like in the case of the students from Remote Area villages there have been problems. During the Maun meeting, the Headmaster of Gantsi Senior Batshidi Tsae explained that 575 students are scheduled to repeat Form Four at the five schools. He also revealed that the ministry will as from today commence an all week  psychological counselling session  to get the students’ minds back to schooling as they spent a long time staying idle.

He said the students would not be stigmatised for failing at their new schools. Tsae also revealed that all is in place at all the five schools for the 575 students to excel in their studies and attain high marks in the 2015 examinations.