Selebi-Phikwe schools do well in JC exams

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Friday January 8, 2010 00:00

Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) located in this town are always in the top 10 when Junior Certificate (JC) results are released. Speaking to Mmegi in an interview, Meepong Junior Secondary School headmaster, Sechaba Oabile, said they have done exceptionally well and they have improved from the 2008 results. He mentioned that in quantity they got 99.5 percent making them the best in the country and quality they managed to get 59.9 percent.

'The school got 12 A's, 97 B's, 72 C's and 1 D. This is an improvement from last year and it is a great motivation for us as the school. We managed to achieve these results due to the support we got from different stakeholders such as the Department of Secondary Education in terms of funding and conducting workshops for teachers to improve their performance,' he said. Oabile said parents are also playing a huge role in the education of their children because they attend meetings when invited.

Makhubu JSS Deputy Headmaster, Lameck Phuthego, said his school managed to score 96 percent quantity and 69 percent quality with six merits, 17 A's, 99 B's and 47 C's.'We have been stable since 2008 because we had scored 99 percent quantity but now we have slightly dropped this year.  Our quality target was 65 percent , but we managed to surpass it to 69 percent. These are excellent results and they are a great motivator for us,' Phuthego said with excitement. 

He mentioned that students do well because they have an attachment with the school and their parents are also giving them support.

He also pointed out that Selebi-Phikwe schools are doing well because they assist each other. Phuthego observed that students who got merits are from Tswana medium primary schools, which show that passing has nothing to do with attending an English medium. He added that teaching is an exceptional career and teachers must always go an extra mile to assist students.

Lebogang JSS headmaster, Jabulani Nfila said his school managed to perform well and managed to get 94 percent quantity and 46.7 percent quality. Nfila also mentioned that his school is consistent with the 2008 results, which saw them being in position four for the past four years. He explained that the performance is high due to the dedication of the teachers and parents who have interest in the education of their children. He added that the school also introduced some strategies that worked for them.

'The reason why we are placed in this position is due to the school locality because we are in the outskirts of the town. We are in a low-income area and students are faced with many challenges, but they are doing better despite the circumstances. Most of the parents are also staying in the cattle posts and their children are staying alone in rented houses,' he said.

Nfila observed that the school has suffered some dropouts due to the involvement of some students with older people and some have gone to the extent of staying with such men without the consent of their parents.