Who to blame for students’ poor results?

Recently, the Ministry of Education released the IGCSE, BGCSE and JC results for 2021. And the results are depressing, disturbing and damning! The results are much the same as for the previous year and clearly show no improvement. However, having said that, it’s a wonder that the results were not a lot worse given the effects of the pandemic – the disease had certainly made inroads into the teaching and student community which, in part, resulted in the closure of schools for a time last year. Now the question is – who actually is to blame for such a dismal performance from our students? Recently, Botswana Teachers Union [ BTU] President, Gotlamang Oitsile, said that the results were horrible and sang the UDC song placing all the blame squarely on the government. Likewise, the Botswana Sectors of Education Trade Union’s [ BOSETU] Publicity Secretary, Oreediste Nyatso, also blamed government for such poor results. However, the results of a recent survey carried out by The Voice newspaper showed that many respondents in Gaborone quoted other reasons for the results. They blamed COVID, the unruly behaviour of students, lack of corporal punishment and lack of parental control and guidance at home. So, instead of playing the blame game and saying that the buck stops with government, trade union officials should open their eyes and face reality. As someone who has taught in both secondary schools and college of education in Botswana for thirty years, I am of the opinion that there are many stakeholders that are responsible for producing good results. They include, government, school senior management teams, teachers, parents, and the students themselves. And trade unions! Each one has a role to play, and should one not do so, then it is like a chain with a broken link – it cannot be used for the purpose for which it was intended. It’s as simple as that! Now, of course, unions will blame government for poor conditions of service for disgruntled teachers – accommodation, lack of promotion, large class sizes… Whilst there may be some truth in this, it must be remembered that, unlike most jobs, teaching is a calling, or vocation, and so teachers must be committed to the education of our children, no matter their grievances. I began lecturing at Tonota College of Education [ TCE] in 1995 and at that time our students, who were training to become teachers at junior secondary schools, were generally conscientious and hard working. Even today I meet many of them and almost all of them are still teaching in government schools and appear to be fairly contented with their lot. However, in recent years TCE students appear to be less committed and one doubts as to how long they will remain in the teaching profession. Indeed, many school Heads are of the opinion that today’s graduates from colleges of education are less dedicated and committed to teaching and many are indisciplined at school and show a poor example to their students. And I have seen many teachers whiling away the time gossiping in the staff room whereas they should be in class teaching. And others who may simply get a student to write notes on the board while they enjoy an extended tea break in the staff room. Clearly, some teachers should not be in the classroom! But, of course, the unions would not want to be seen criticizing their members! Perhaps union officials might care to visit some schools in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Here most teachers receive a monthly salary that is less than that of a cleaner or labourer in Botswana.

SCHOOL SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAMS

These include the school Head, Deputy and senior teachers. They play a major role in enforcing discipline and hard work in students including supervising and guiding teachers. Despite the poor results, schools in Selebi Phikwe have shown a marked improvement compared to previous years. This is despite the closure of the BCL mine and the consequent loss of thousands of jobs. Many students there come from poor low- income families in rural Bobirwa. And yet these schools have not been favoured over others in terms of funding, infrastructure, facilities and class sizes! Reasons why Phikwe schools have outshone others elsewhere are a strong robust culture of teaching and good governance shown by senior management. The role of a school Head should never be overlooked or underestimated! This can be seen, for example, at Ghanzi Senior Secondary

School, where results have shown a marked dip after the Head, Mr. Tsae, was transferred to Shoshong Senior Secondary School. The 2021 results also showed that Kgari Sechele Senior Secondary School in Molepolole leaped from position 29 to 20 and such an achievement has been attributed to the recent arrival of the new Head, Baaitse Kebobone. Before her move there, she had been posted to struggling Sefophe Junior Secondary School where in one single year she oversaw a dramatic rise in the pass rate from 22 percent to 54 percent. She certainly made the impossible possible! Perhaps government could offer more training to those in leadership positions in our schools so that others could emulate her performance?

PARENTS

They too have to share the blame for poor results! Many parents do not care about what their children do at school; they show little interest in their children’s education and do not monitor them closely at home. They so often abdicate big time the task of disciplining their children to teachers and are quick to blame them when their children fail at school. Disciplining a child begins at home and should start at an early age before the child starts attending primary school. Charity begins at home! Parents should ensure that the home is a place that is conducive to learning. Their children should be given a quiet place where they can study and do their homework and not be allowed to idle watching TV or spending time on social media. And children should not be given all the household chores to do after school – sweeping the yard, cooking… It is common knowledge that girls perform better at school than boys. One reason for this is that many children are raised by a single parent, usually an unmarried mother. Hence their fathers are absent. But boys need a father figure in the home to guide and discipline them. In rural areas, many parents spend most of the time at the lands or cattle post. For these reasons, their children may stay in the village either with their siblings or alone. And with no role model around, they may hang out with undesirable friends who may lead them to indulge in antisocial behaviour and even crime to the detriment of their studies. No wonder then that many students are not serious with their studies, drink alcohol, smoke and take drugs with no shame or fear. They do whatever they want and may even see themselves as equals to adults and so they do not respect their parents, elders or teachers. Some students even beat up their teachers and refuse to listen when they are told that boys should not sleep in the girls hostel at night. I remember when I taught at Matshekge Hill Secondary School, Bobonong, the students rioted in 1993 and injured the school Head and vandalised school property.

Many teachers fled the campus and did not return until the situation was under control. So, parents should monitor their children’s studies and also take an active part in Parent Teacher Association [ PTA] meetings at school. At such meetings, they can interact with teachers and find out more concerning the academic performance of their children, the problems that the school is facing, and suggest ways in which grades can be improved. Some people believe that more funding, good motivated teachers, first class facilities and infrastructure will automatically result in well- disciplined students and good results. But that may not always be the case. When Goodhope Senior Secondary School opened, it was blessed with all these good things but it has since been plagued by serious student indiscipline. We now live in the digital age and teachers sending homework or class notes to students at home through WhatsApp will do little to improve matters. Nothing can replace a change in attitude if we want to see improved results in our schools. Period! So clearly, students need to play their part. They may, according to the law, be juveniles or minors but they know what they are doing when they misbehave. They do not misbehave through ignorance! Their conduct is deliberate. In conclusion, we have seen that it’s not just about blaming government for lack of funding, poor facilities and infrastructure, poor teaching working conditions… The Umbrella for Democratic Change [ UDC] and the unions would dearly love Batswana to believe this but we all have a part to play if we want to see an improvement in our children’s performance at school. There are no shortcuts to success!