Scouts take moral lessons to trouble prone Matsha
Pini Bothoko | Monday May 15, 2017 16:13
In the past, boarding students, especially at secondary level, were caught sneaking alcohol and drugs into schools. Matsha College in Kang is not an exception. Controversy and Matsha College are like Siamese twins.
In 2003 tragedy hit the school after some students reportedly drunk methanol leaving some dead, others hospitalised and some visually impaired. It was reported that it all started during one of their chemistry lessons when they were learning how methanol worked. Unfortunately, some boys decided to play out the whole lesson later that night.
They, together with some girls drank the methanol and started to behave in a strange way. The situation worsened prompting their admission to Hukuntsi Primary Hospital where some died, with some referred to Jwaneng and later to Princess Marina Hospital.
A student’s behaviour does not only hurt the student who brings such an attitude to school, but can affect entire students. Usually discipline problems occur far more often in schools in lower socio economic areas, which are also the schools with poorer academic outcomes.
Following these acts, in September last year the Botswana Scouts Association (BSA) partnered with the school and organised a two weeks boot camp in an effort to mould and improve students’ behaviour.
The BSA’s training commissioner Ezekiel Malenya said they were concerned by the students’s bad behaviour that over the years impacted badly on the school’s results.
He said the factors that hinder learning such as bullying, drug use, lack of respect for teachers and skipping classes occurred far more frequently at Matsha college than any other school.
He said being located in a remote area where most of its inhabitants are illiterate and spend most of their time abusing alcohol might be contributing a lot to the student’s bad behaviour.
Matsha College enrolls students from Hukuntsi, Lehututu, Lekgwabe, Tshane and Mabutsane, which are still behind in developments. Majority of the inhabitants of these villages are illiterate and their source of income is from Ipelegeng, which is mostly spent in alcohol.
Some are working as herdsmen, with most females as house helpers and care very little about their children’s education.
One could conclude that students from such backgrounds, who do not share the same values, might not understand implicit expectations for classroom behaviour.
Compared to parents in urban villages, towns and cities they do not visit their children’s schools to appreciate their struggles. Most of them are unemployed, living under abject poverty and have relegated responsibility to government in acquiring their children’s school uniform and transport fares.
“I suspect most of the students are exposed to such bad behaviour hence copying such kind of a lifestyles and end up losing interest in learning or not taking their studies serious,” Malenya said.
Malenya said this year again they held another two weeks boot camp to assist students realise who they are through character building, patriotism, behavioural change, team work to mention but a few.
He said the problems require concerted effort by parents, families, communities, working with schools and policymakers to ensure that teachers are empowered to take a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to bad behaviour.
Reached for comment, Matsha College school head Tshokologo Dineo applauded the BSA for their good gesture, which has contributed positively to the learners’s behaviour and school performance.
He said the youth empowerment bootcamp was held under the theme, ‘A different me, a different Matsha, 2017 and beyond’.
He said for years Matsha students displayed awkward behaviour that contributed to the school’s decline in results and they have been struggling as teachers and the school leadership to mould them into better learners.
“Most of students engage in alcohol and substance abuse, Satanism and other bad behaviours like burning the hall and drinking methanol, something that contributed badly to their school performance.
We are hopeful that this year we will record better marks because even students felt the Botswana scout’s presence and determination to change towards building a positive institution,” Dineo said.
Dineo said one of their strategic plans is to form a pyramid with primary and secondary schools to see how they can improve students’ s performance from lower levels.
He disclosed that he had been visiting villagers and addressed students’ parents pleading with them to take part in their children’s education.