Lefhoko Primary School defies poverty to emerge top in PSLE

The name may not ring a bell for many but Lefhoko Primary School defied all odds to score a 100 percent pass rate in the 2016 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

Situated in the poverty-riddled settlement of Lefhoko on the outskirts of Jwaneng, the school will be among those honoured for academic excellence at the Diamond Dream Awards later this month, says the school’s head teacher, Tiny Motswagare. The inaugural awards, organised by Debswana Mine are intended to improve the education standards within the mine’s zone of influence by rewarding excellence and inspiring hardwork among learners and teachers.

A total of 23 primary schools and five junior secondary schools will compete across various categories that reward individual excellence for the learner, teacher and school. For the school, constant violence, absenteeism, poverty, parental negligence, illiteracy and a society whose priorities are on farming and keeping cattle are some of the obstacles teachers and pupils face.

“There are times when we have to travel to cattle posts to get kids to school. To teach here goes beyond the call of duty. We have to put in an extra effort to convince the parents that education is better than the animals they want their children to remain home and look after,” she said.

She said that the classrooms are filled with pupils who mostly attend to get a guarantee of lunch, have no proper school uniform and in some instances come to school barefooted. In 2014 and 2015, the school produced less than stellar results at 35 percent and 38.9 percent pass rates respectively. Motswagare, who could not contain her excitement when speaking to this publication recently in Lefhoko, attributed the school’s dramatic change in fortune to a change in culture and a secret weapon in the form of a new teacher who joined the school.

The teacher in question, Kedibonye Ramodimo joined the school in 2016 from Gaborone where she was a temporary teacher at Taung. “She has been a Godsend,” gushed Motswagare who described Ramodimo as the most dedicated and passionate teacher she has ever come across. “We also had closer working relations between parents, teachers and pupils,” she said. From September, throughout the examination, pupils and teachers camped inside the school, revising. “Parents cooperated and even contributed the P30 we required for food. When we had a shortfall, teachers also searched their pockets to help. That to me is going above and beyond and I am very grateful to have such a team,” she said.

“The printer Debswana bought for us also helped a lot because we were able to readily print revision materials. Before, we would have to go to Kanye or Jwaneng for such a service,” Motswagare explained. “We are very grateful to companies like Debswana that recognise and rewards success such as ours,” said Motswagare.

The mine has also undertaken to construct a P1.5 million-kitchen for the school which until recently prepared food for pupils in an open space. Member of Parliament for Kanye South, Abram Kesupile commended the school for becoming number one in the Jwaneng/Mabutsane Sub region. “It is truly inspiring,” he said, adding, “this is testimony that with the right support, our learners can courageously battle all odds and make it,” he said.