Badale JSS head warns against indecent behaviour

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Wednesday September 29, 2010 00:00

The deputy school head, Susan Ginindza, speaking during the school prize-giving ceremony, said the pastoral department deals with all complaints.

Parents are invited to attend the hearings. She said students are involved in sexual relationships, alcohol abuse and smoking cigarettes.

She noted that the situation is made worse because most of the students live alone without parental guidance.'Parents work on farms and some of the students are orphans.

Parental involvement in the learning of their children is minimal. Even when invited for PTA meetings, they do not attend, even when serious issues are to be discussed we cannot engage,' she said.

Gininda said the school has experienced some students dropping out since the beginning of the year. The school had 235 students but at the moment there are 231.

Gininda also observed that the construction of Thune Dam has brought many men to the village and students are at risk of getting involved with them.  The deputy school head said accommodation is also a challenge to the school because all teachers share houses except the school head.  

 Associated Fund Administrators (AFA) sponsored the ceremony to the tune of P20,000.

For her part, AFA Managing Director, Rose Tatedi, said there is no single factor that can adequately address challenges facing the education system. She observed that some of the challenges relate to student dropouts, truancy, vandalism of school property and learning problems which are largely social in nature like indiscipline and sexual relationships among students.

Tatedi challenged parents to play a proactive role in ensuring that all the obstacles to students learning to be confronted head on.

'The growth of the school over the years testifies to the dedication and commitment of all partners involved. It is an example of how collaboration with the community can result in a visionary idea coming to fruition,' she said.Tatedi commended the school for doing well over the years during examinations except in 2009 when there was a slight decline in performance.

She called upon parties involved to make sure that the results are improved again. She mentioned that teachers have a critical task in leading the nation towards integrity, honesty and commitment.

'We should never lose sight of what we are trying to achieve in education. At the heart of it all, education is about bringing out the best in each student. Each student has to be discovered, cultivated and nurtured,' Tatedi said.The chairperson of the logistics committee, Moagi Mukokomani, said AFA sponsorship is a blessing to the school. He said it is hard for schools in villages to clinch sponsorship from big organisations such as AFA.

Mukokomani added that the sponsorship will also boost the morale of the students because they will be excited to be associated with AFA.

He mentioned that it is also hard for the school to ask for donations from the village because most of the parents are unemployed.