With the BCL mine having long closed, Selebi Phikwe is understandably not the happiest of places. However, year in and year out, there is a lot of happiness when school examinations results are released. As a matter of fact, the good results from Selebi Phikwe schools have become a point of pride for the Selebi Phikwe West MP, Dithapelo Keorapetse when he takes to the floor of parliament.
Boteti East MP, Sethomo Lelatisitswe would like schools in his constituency to do as well and to that end, wants them to have classes as small as to yield the best learning outcomes. What he described when he contributed to the debate on the budget proposal for the education ministry is a full-blown crisis. The MP, who is also the Assistant Minister of Health, told parliament that when the school year began two months ago, some primary school leavers were turned away at the Letlhakane Junior Secondary School because there were no Form 1 places. Under increasing pressure from parents, he had to take the matter up with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, in some instances forwarding her text messages from the parents to demonstrate the extent of the crisis.
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