A week not enough for parents

Mmegi Editor | Friday February 19, 2016 12:00

They are expected to report to their respective schools next Tuesday. While it is a fact that the Junior Certificate results were released in January, and that parents would have known that their children were going to senior school, the period between admissions and reporting for school is just too short.

First, parents have to acquire uniform for their children, for which in most cases the supplier is prescribed by the school; they have to acquire such basics as shoes, toiletry, blankets and other amenities for those going to boarding schools.

The officers at the MoESD should have thought about children in rural and impoverished areas who have to travel long distances to the nearest store to buy these. We are talking about children in Kgalagadi, North East, North West, Tswapong, Bobirwa, Ngamiland, and Okavango districts. Some of these children do not stay with their parents for many reasons such as places of work, working their fields or on official trip far away from home.

This will also mean that the fortunate parents who have jobs will have to apply for leave, or sick leave in the worst case scenarios, to have an opportunity to run around to ensure that their children have a memorable journey to the senior school.

There is no dispute that the government provides these needs for orphaned children across the country, but the concern is that the officers who are tasked with this mandate are going to be overwhelmed. They have to ensure that these children get their uniform, shoes, blankets, toiletry and other amenities within the remaining four days.

Even more disturbing is the fact that the first term of the year is so short that three weeks after opening, the schools will close for vacation before end of March. Obviously the students will not have settled in their new environment.The short vacation means another round of expenses for the parents some of whom cannot afford three meals a day for other children going to lower schools.

We therefore request the ministry to make contingency measures to announce admissions shortly after the results have been released to allow parents more time to prepare for their children’s journey to senior school. This will also assist teachers to deal with the issue of backlog in syllabus, which we are told is a serious challenge for many senior schools. We are in the year 2016 and we should be a caring and compassionate nation. Surprises like this one come with a huge cost to the ordinary people.

Today’s thought

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” 

- Plato