Students showcase practical proficiency
Faith Siako | Wednesday June 24, 2015 14:59
The exhibition held at Phase IV community hall attracted students from 17 junior secondary schools and three senior secondary schools in the region.
The chairperson of practical subjects in the region Terry Rankhudu said the fair is held every year to allow students to show their abilities through competing in practical subjects such as Art, Design and Technology, Home Economics, Business Studies, Music, Physical Education and Agriculture.
He added that the aim of the fair is to improve students’ results through giving them an opportunity to see other students’ work as well as share ideas on how to improve their projects.
“In the Junior Certificate (JC) and Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) results, practical subjects came top of all the subjects,” he said.
He said the fair also allows teachers to exchange ideas on how to improve the quality of practical work and plan on ways of improving results amongst these subjects.
He disclosed that the practical fair is open to all students, adding that there were more than 500 students who came for the exhibition and some took part in a quiz.
He said that for students to enter the exhibition they must come up with their own ideas and products. However, for Agriculture students, it is often a continuous assessment.
The chairperson also said that best students exhibits and those who pass the quiz would be selected to enter the national practical subject fair that will be held at the BOCCIM Hall from July 13-17.
He also encouraged students to show their talents as the Ministry of Education, Skills and Development has put forth a new project for students to do handy work as this will help them sustain a living when they do not excel with their studies.
“Businesspeople should come to the national practical subject fair to see students’ abilities so as to give them exposure into the market.”
Leatile Rammidi and Bokani Mbangiwa, Form Three students from Selolwe Junior Secondary School exhibited their Agricultural projects of spinach and onion.
The duo said that they grew spinach and onion to prepare for the practical subject fair, adding that their Agriculture teacher assisted them.
“Through preparations for the project, we encountered some challenges where some of our crops did not germinate and some got stolen,” said Mbangiwa.
Rammidi added that having the opportunity to enter the practical fair competition, they learnt about advantages and disadvantages of being young farmers.
They also said that they were happy to be part of the exhibition because they gained experience from other students and will be able to apply what they learnt in class.
Baboloki Matebu, who is also a Junior School student at Maenjani, exhibited a painting abstract.
He said Art is his favourite subject and he is very good at it and wishes to be an artist when he completes his studies.
A Masunga Senior Secondary School student Fidelis Dima who also took part in the exhibition said that the exhibition gave them a great opportunity to interact and learn from other students’ work.
“The exhibition also gives students an insight of what they can do after completing school,” he said.
He also added that the project subject fair helps to shape the community, as students will join the community with a good mentality of using their own hands to sustain a living.