Africa-Press – Botswana. A robust packed mindset change boot camp organised for upper class students of Tsabong Unified Senior Secondary School is set to ignite potential to improve results as part of the schools turnaround strategy.
Addressing more than 900 Form 3, 4 and 5 pupils in Tsabong on Monday, Kgalagadi regional chief education officer, Mr Daniel Zulu, said the world was moving at an unprecedented pace and therefore it was imperative to evolve the education approach.
Mr Zulu said the mission of the boot camp was to equip pupils with necessary tools for them to be able to thrive in the ever changing world.
He told learners that the world was dynamic and therefore their commitment to education must be unwavering.
The boot camp, he said, was a catalyst for them to embrace change which sought to instill ‘Mind-set Change for the 21st Century Learner’ as the theme for the boot camp.
The activities are about igniting potential and expected to be a turning point towards a brighter future and will also enable students to look at the challenges they faced as stepping stones to build a better future for themselves.
Mr Zulu took note of the fact that the Tsabong Unified Senior Secondary School performance trend was low and kept on fluctuating.
“These declines and fluctuations present an opportunity for you to improve,” he said. “It must be a starting journey towards results improvement and sustain progress.”
He said just like everywhere, students faced challenges of gender based violence, peer pressure, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and smoking. He called upon students to focus on overcoming those challenges.
He said they were also aware of the sex parties that some students at the school engaged in, which must be stopped in order to improve academic performance.
He said they must see their challenges as unique opportunities to make a difference and do what was right.
As teachers, he said, they sought to curb indiscipline and prepare students for life beyond the school walls, foster holistic health and wellness and improve resource management habits.
He told them that mind-set change included changing of habits to get better results.
For his part, Tsabong Unified Senior Secondary School Acting Headmaster, Mr Biliki Mooketsa, reminded the students that the school had not been performing well academically hence the need for them to make use of the five day boot camp.
As it stands, he said the 2020 Junior Certificate results showed a 31 per cent ABC pass rate, in 2021 they were at 31 per cent, while in 2022 they were at 33 per cent.
As for the Botswana General Certificate in Secondary Education in 2020 the ABC pass rate was 40 per cent, in 2021 it was 50 per cent, while in 2022 it was recorded at 51 per cent. Therefore, he said, it was important to focus on improving such results.
Mr Mooketsa said the 21st century learner must have strong survival skills and display acceptable behavior at home and in public and therefore he said they sought to build a well-rounded product. Currently, he said, they were experiencing challenges of indiscipline, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, teenage pregnancy, delinquency and school drop outs.
He however warned students that drugs were illegal and chances were high that they could destroy them mentally and warned them to guard against that.
Mr Mooketsa implored pupils to change their mind set, do things differently to be able to perform better.
He reminded them that government invested heavily on their education hence the need for students to pull up their socks and do better.
Motor Vehicle Accident Fund occupational therapist and boot camp opening ceremony guest speaker, Ms Lesedi Molatedi, said the theme, ‘mindset change for the 21st century learner’ was aligned to
President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s call for all citizens to unite behind the vision and reignite the values of ‘botho, bofefo, botlhaga, botswerere, bonatla’ in the national development framework.
She said that it was incumbent upon every individual to run with it, embrace their full potential, unravel talent and capabilities and adopt the culture of innovation and self-worth.
“It takes you to change, no one is responsible for taking charge of your journey but yourself,” she advised.
Ms Molatedi emphasised that it was important for them to consistently undergo personal development, do self-retrospection and watch self-discipline.
“We are living in fast paced world today, and therefore we must embrace challenges, set goals and grow positive mind set,” she said.
She implored learners to develop strong study habits and a passion for learning and generally work hard to achieve self-actualization, bearing in mind that education goes beyond text books thus they must always be prepared to face challenges ahead.
The school pastoral care head of department, Ms Omogolo Ramolapong said the boot camp was lined up with fun and exciting activities that started on Aug. 21 and will end on Aug 25 and it was designed to prepare learners for life after school, to change mind sets and improve academic performance, to develop learner with holistic approach to health and wellness issue, improve resource management and habits of participants as well as improve personal hygiene.
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