Tumelo Molefhi, a former student at Maun Senior Secondary School in Maun, has been named North West district top achiever for 2024 Botswana General Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations. His remarkable story of resilience and academic brilliance serves as an inspiration to many across the region.
The star achieved 6 A*s, 2As,1B and 1D in the 2024 BGCSE examinations, making him one of the top achievers across the country.
In an interview recently, Molefhi and his teachers, hared his academic pursuit. The top achiever has said that hard work, time management and diligence remain key to passing the BGCSE examinations.
Molefhi’s academic journey has not been so smooth as the loss of his loved ones during a critical time before seating for his examinations posed significant obstacles.
“My grandmother always motivated me to study harder. Her biggest wish was to see me being successful and that has always driven me to focus more on my school work,” he said.
Molefhi has encouraged other students to work hard, respect their elders, pray, and hope for a better future. He however stressed that his determination and the unwavering support of his parents and teachers helped him rise above the odds. He praised his teachers for always remaining patient and dedicated to help students with school work.
Maun Senior Secondary School Head Kagiso Casalis said that they emphasise on academic excellence and students’ discipline. She said a student who is well disciplined is focused and concentrates on academic achievement. She said they emphasise much on discipline measures such as lesson attendance and school work compliance to improve the results.
“A well-rounded student can acquire essential life skills like responsibility and self-control,” she said.
For his part Molefhi’s class teacher Kitsontle Ramakoba said the concept of discipline encompasses the ability to set goals, formulate plans, and adhere to them with unwavering consistency.
Ramakoba said his class worked hard as they were very cooperative when he enforced new study methods including the morning study just before lessons commenced and daily motivation sessions.
He added that he enforced strict rules right from the beginning of the academic year and also set targets for the students while encouraging them by promising to offer gifts to those who had done well. Ramakoba revealed that he was impressed with the results as 10 of his students had scooped over 40 points.
The School’s Head of Department- Pastoral care, Wiseman Mabote also mentioned time management and academic dedication as key points to excellence. He further mentioned one of the biggest challenges they face being the lack of parental involvement in education.
The HOD said that many parents face time constraints due to work and other commitments, making it challenging to be involved in their child’s education. He mentioned that some children in the senior school are left to take care of their younger siblings while they are working at the farms or at the delta. He however highlighted the importance of parental involvement saying that it could improve students’ performance.
Meanwhile Molefhi’s mother Goabaone Mogodi encouraged other parents to fully support their children saying that parental involvement not only enhances academic performance but it also has a positive influence on student attitude and behavior.
