As the school condition at Shoshong senior secondary school continues to deteriorate, criminals have now taken the advantage of dilapidated security fence around the school to attack boarding students at their dormitories at night.
In an effort to protect themselves, students have not so long ago murdered an intruder and fatally injured another suspect in self-defence during an attack at the dormitories.
Superintendent Tawana Tawana of Shoshong police station confirmed that his station is investigating a case in which an intruder was killed by students after he broke into the school dormitories sometime last year.
He said recently another intruder was also severely injured when he broke into the school dormitories. .
“At this juncture I would not want to comment much on both cases because they are still under investigation,” he said.
Village headman Kgosi Kgamane said he was aware that the school premises are in bad condition.
“This is too bad and something has to be done,” said Kgosi Kgamane.
He said as the tribal authority they have long complained about the worsening condition of the school but nothing has as yet been done.
Kgamane indicated that high ranking government officials appointed by the president as a task force once visited the school to identify buildings that need to be refurbished.
“Since then the tribal authority has not yet heard anything from the task force.”
Kgamane added that the delay to address the poor condition at the school is worrisome.
He said due to the poor conditions at the school suspected criminals have taken advantage to break into the school dormitories to attack students.
He recalled that last year, a suspected criminal was murdered by the students after the deceased and his two accomplices were found in the girls hotels.
He said the students managed to arrest one of the intruders who they beat badly and later died at Nyangagwe hospital in Francistown.
He said recently another gang of criminals also broke into the girls hostel and one of the alleged intruders was fatally injured by the students.
He lamented that the most disappointing thing is the fact that the school performed dismally in the 2017 GCESE and scored 12 percent.
Shoshong senior secondary PTA chairman Seemela Lehika said the school buildings are in bad condition.
He added that something needs to be done before the buildings collapse on the heads of the students and teachers.
He dedicated that he once wrote to the area Member of Parliament Dikgang Makgalemela but he did not respond to PTA concerns about the school condition.
“The most affected areas include laboratories, kitchen and hostels and the condition at these areas are unbearable,” he said.
“How do you think the students will pass under these conditions?” asked the PTA head.
However Shoshong MP who is also assistant minister of Health and Wellness Philip Makgalemele expressed his concern about the deteriorating condition of the schools in his constituency.
“It is disheartening that the senior school is in this bad condition but something is being done to address the situation at the moment”.
He said it is unfortunate that government somehow neglected to renovate its own buildings for quite a long time and this has now created huge problems across ministries.
He indicated that the school will be renovated during the 2018 and 2019 financial year.
He admitted that there were some delays at the tendering processes and such delays were resolved in which the tender is expected to be awarded shortly.
He strongly dismissed allegations that suggest that the Shoshong senior secondary school was not his priority.
“It is not true, I have written letters to the ministry of education and met with the relevant minister and promised that something will be done at the school”.
Efforts to contact the minister of basic education were futile.
