The Ministry yesterday confirmed that with effect from next year, Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School, Goodhope Senior Secondary School, Nata Senior Secondary School and Mmadinare Senior Secondary School have been designated as centers of excellence which the Ministry will be introducing in 2013.The centers of excellence concept, Mmegi has learnt, is part of a broader plan by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to set aside specialised centers for practical subjects like home economics, the sciences, physical education, design and technology, and music, among others with the aim of promoting excellence in these disciplines.
There is currently a team from the minstry going around the country taking inventory of such practical subjects as design and technology, physical education and fashion design to identify those senior secondary schools that can be designated as centers of excellence for these subjects. The ministry spokesman Oarabile Phefo says the task team set up to do the situational analysis with respect to these subjects is expected to submit its findings by end of this month.The ministry also confirms that in the long run, centres of excellence will be extended to other practical subjects including sciences, but the spokesman says that will only be undertaken after the implementation and evaluation of the first phase of the establishment of these schools. However, the ministry says it does not expect to incur extra costs in executing these new projects as they are leveraging on existing facilities. However, they admit financial burden will arise when they begin rolling out the new changes to junior schools, especially in the area of music: "The costs for doing so will be established after ascertaining all that needs to be done to effectively teach music at that level," the ministry spokesman adds.
