Africa-Press – Botswana. Francistown Secondary School (FSS) staff has been lauded for the school’s good academic performance for the past two years.
The school obtained position six in the 2021 Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) results and position five last year.
Speaking at the school’s staff excellence award on Tuesday, Francistown mayor, Mr Godisang Radisigo, said the city leadership was grateful for the staff’s efforts in ensuring the good results.
Mr Radisigo said prize giving should not only be for learners, but also for the teaching, non-teaching staff and leadership of the school.
The mayor said teachers went an extra mile to ensure excellent results, hence the need for them to share in the accolades.
“Teachers do not just teach, they go through additional schooling, work nights and weekends,” preparing pupils for the road ahead.
Principal education officer (inspectorate) in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Ms Malebogo Macheng attributed the good pass rate to a strong relationship between the community, Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) and the school.
Ms Macheng commended FSS teachers for their tireless efforts, adding that the good results indicated that the school ‘had what it takes’.
She said the sacrifices that FSS teachers and non-teaching staff made could not go unnoticed.
In his remarks, the school head, Mr Fanyana Ntaise, attributed the good performance to the change in pupils’ discipline.
Mr Ntaise said for the past 20 years, FSS was not able to beat Mater Spei College, which used to be the best performing secondary school in Francistown.
He, however, explained that the tables had turned as FSS was returning to its glory days.
He expressed concern that since the opening of the Kazungula Bridge, heavy trucks, en-route to the northern corridor, disrupted lessons as they filled up the space in front of the school gate where taxis dropped pupils.
Mr Ntaise said that delayed pupils to attend classes, adding others got dropped a distance from the school.
In response, Mr Radisigo said the council would look into the issue, but said there were plans to construct a bye-pass from Kgaphamadi to Gerald to ease congestion in the town.
He said this bye-pass would also cater for the up-coming Special Economic Zone project behind the Phillip Matante International Airport.
Several staff members were awarded certificates in various disciplines such as outstanding performance in field assistant, PTA awards, sports and classroom awards as well as special awards from the school head, English literature, religious education, commerce and physical education.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
