Mogoditshane JSS Classes Overflowing
Baboki Kayawe | Monday September 11, 2017 16:15
He added even parents who come from places closer to the capital opt to have their children enrolled in Mogoditshane JSS, and others nearer Gaborone.
“Their reasoning is that it is most convenient for them to check on learners when they are here as opposed to say when they study in a place like Molepolole,” Gothaang said.
The school head said this during the handing over ceremony of a counseling centre and sick bay facility from audit, consulting, financial advisory and tax services firm, Deloitte & Touche Botswana.
The overflow, he said, is hardly felt in Form 1 classes.
“While the classrooms are supposed to have a maximum 45 students, we have a situation where we have reached 62 learners in a class. Moreover, we are experiencing shortages of desks and chairs- it is very bad such that learners are sharing chairs,” he added.
The situation is further compounded by lack of parental involvement, high truancy as well as drugs and substance abuse. Gothaang said when parents are called for meetings they do not care to attend. These problems have seen the school recording poor performance annually. Last year, the school had a pass rate of 33.6%, a decline from 2015’s 40.5% pass mark.
“We have never reached a 50% ABC pass rate in this institution, we are however hopeful that partnerships such as the one we have with Deloitte will help resolve some of the problems contributing to poor performance,” he said.
The facility will be used to provide counseling services in order to address social ills learners are faced with. The second portion of the care centre, equipped with two beds and a bathroom with a shower, will accommodate students in need of any special care during the school day.
According to Deloitte, the school brought its need for a counselling facility to the firm’s attention as the school previously did not have a private area to provide counselling support, and this deterred students from seeking help when they encountered challenges in their studies.
The partnership between Mogoditshane JSS and Deloitte started in 2013, and to date the firm has replaced broken windows, painted a few blocks and donated to winter wear to orphans and vulnerable learners in the school.
Deloitte social committee executive, Mosireletsi Mogotlhwane encouraged Mogoditshane JSS alumnae working for Deloitte to individually contribute to the growth of the school, as opposed to only giving a hand during the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives .