2022 BGCSE best student shares secret to success
Joshua Omaatla Ezekiel is a ball of energy no wonder he beat all his 35 198 peers who sat for the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations in 2022.
He became the latest recipient of the Presidential Award at the recent Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) Excellence Awards, pocketing P15 000 and a MacBook, both of which were handed to him by President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
This accolade comes after he was recognised as the Golden Star recipient, the epitome of academic success.
Ezekiel, who is 19 this year is elated. He scored a remarkable 59 points for JCE and 48 points for BGCSE, shooting him to the top. In his own words, he has always been a brilliant student throughout his academic journey.
“I had been anticipating the award for a long time but it was both ecstatic, an honour and privilege to have been the recipient of the Presidential award,” he said.
The former Naledi Secondary School student got 10 A* grades and a single B from 11 subjects. He is a middle child from a family of five, with one younger and older brother. He wants to be known as a young man of big dreams and a desire to make impact.
“My academic excellence is product of a two-year period filled with indefatigable and insatiable hunger to be at the top. I especially attribute my achievement to my parents' unwavering support in encouraging me and taking care of me along the journey,” he told The Midweek Sun this week.
His mother is a secondary school teacher and father an IT expert, and they have both been instrumental in seeing their son reach these heights.
After completing BGCSE, Ezekiel was sponsored to enrol in a coding program.
“I also started tutoring for a period of about four months before I resumed school in June at Maruapula School. I have since learnt a lot in people skills and made it a journey of mine to make an impact wherever I am,” he said.
The youngster, who is still undergoing career research to decide the course that he would like to study after completing A Levels in 2025, is passionate about entrepreneurship.
He, together with other top achievers have started an organisation called Top Achievers Takedown, where they plan to revolutionise education by inspiring students in different schools across the nation through motivational talks and sponsored educational seminars, as well as fundraising to help under resourced schools and provide a platform where they can share their knowledge on how best to get good grades.
“We hope to make a lot of impact through this initiative,” he said.
He is quick to acknowledge that good academic performance is a result of cooperation of different stakeholders in a student’s life. His advice to students is that they should ensure that they cut out unnecessary distractions but
most of all to never lose hope.
“Continue working hard up until the end with the belief that a good grade is not only a dream but an achievable goal.”
To parents, Ezekiel wishes to drum this message home, that supporting children with all the resources they need to learn is critical. He even urges parents to teach their children faith in God because in God, he believes children will draw a lot of wisdom about life in general.
Ezekiel went to Al-haq English Medium School in Molepolole and proceeded to Dithejwane Junior Secondary School.
Speaking during the Excellence Awards, President Masisi said it is essential to recognise that reaching extraordinary heights of academic attainment requires a devoted investment of time, consistency and steadfastness in
focused learning with a clear purpose.
He told recipients that the celebratory moment is, however, only a part of the journey of their personal fulfilment in life.
“It is a signpost pointing to greater opportunities of accomplishment that await you, for as long as you remain focused and intentional about becoming educated, skilled, ethical persons and patriotic citizens of Botswana.
“You have the choice to claim the opportunities for a profession or vocation that the ladder of your senior secondary education success has presented for your future prospects,” President Masisi said.
“The nation, and his parents, expect stories of success throughout this young man’s academic path. As a leader of the nation, it gratifies me to be associated with such an outstanding individual.”