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Schools in the North West region have once again performed poorly in the just released 2022 Junior Certificate Examinations results, with all of them scoring below 50%.
The region’s top performing school, Maitlamo scored only 46% pass rate last year and has this year maintained the top position in the region with 49.1%. The region has zero merits and a total of 23 As, 252 Bs, 842 Cs, 1341 Ds, 613 Es, 902 U while 379 obtained an X.
The results also indicate that Gowa Junior Secondary School has the highest number of ungraded candidates with 115 followed by Okavango Junior School with 100 candidates. Gowa and Etsha recorded the highest number of candidates who obtained Es at 55.
It has also been noted from the results that private candidates who were re-sitting for their examinations have underperformed with Maun Private Centre recording the highest number of 191 who failed to meet minimum requirement for the award qualification seconded by Shakawe Private School with 50 and Shakawe Botswana Open University private centre with 38.
According to the results out of 46 835 candidates who sat for the 2022 examinations, the country only recorded seven merit, a decline from 14 recorded in 2021.
A total of 488 candidates obtained grade A as compared to 543 in 2021, 4 152 obtained grade B compared to 4 176 in 2021.The 2022 results show that 10 681 obtained grade C as compared to 10322 in 2021.
15 234 candidates obtained grade D as while in 2021 15 367 obtained grade D. 6 014 obtained E in 2022 while in 2021 6112 obtained grade E. In 2022 7368 students were ungraded while in 2021 only 6744 students were ungraded.
Meanwhile, the Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) has expressed concerned about the one sided education system which it said often expose children in rural areas into poverty and helplessness.
In a press release, BOSETU Secretary General Tobokani Rari noted with worry that schools from rural areas such as North West, Gantsi, Kgalagadi and Chobe have scored an average pass below 50%.
“This points to a terribly skewed education system that further condemns children of the rural poor and economically disadvantaged into poverty and helplessness,” Rari noted.
He added that the education system is currently ailing adding that it needs to be turned around and overhaul for it to be effective. Rari has since challenged government to change shift of the education system from the traditional base approach to a more practical oriented one to cater for both children in urban and rural areas. The system Rari has noted should be channelled towards the children’s areas of strength.
Beside the skewed education system, Rari has indicated that teachers are also faced by a number of challenges which often kills their moral in terms of service delivery.
“Teachers are facing challenges that negatively affect their service delivery, some of these include stagnant progression, high teaching loads, collapsed in-service structures and unresolved issues of hours of work,” Rari said.
