Kgari Sechele secondary school in Molepolole village, which has been struggling in academic performance, will soon get a boost after former students formed an association to partner with the school to improve results.
As their first project, the association, registered with the Registrar of Societies in May 2012 as Kgosi Kgari Sechele II Class of ’93, plan to sponsor prizes for best performing students in the 2012 Prize Giving Ceremony next month. To this end, the association will hold a fundraising dinner on August 31, 2012 at KSII main hall.
The association is the brain child of some former students who completed their Cambridge in 1993 at the school.
The association’s Deputy General Secretary Koko Nkokonyane said they decided to come together to help address poor BGCSE results at the school in the recent past. Kgari Sechele has remained in the bottom five poor performers in recent years. Nkokonyane said they want to support KSII, as the school is commonly known, and others within the school’s catchment area to achieve the Vision 2016 pillar of ‘An Educated and Informed nation’.
“Going forward, with resources available, we plan to identify the needs of children at a younger age throughout the district to assist them. The membership of the association will also later be open to all former students of the school and other stakeholders like members of the public and the business community,” he said.
One target is to support the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) initiatives like the Adopt-a-School programme where individuals, groups of individuals or companies are encouraged to assist schools acquire educational materials like stationery, books. The other will be to explore opportunities to support the ministry’s envisaged education mentors programme.
Nkokonyane said they have already met community leaders in the village, among them Kgosi Kgari III, Ministry of Education officials, school administration/management and Parents Teachers Association (PTA), former teachers, Vision 2016 Council to sell their idea.
“We will soon meet more stakeholders, including Molepolole MPs, councilors in the area, churches and the business community,” he added.
The chairman of the association, Oscar Mosielele, presented before the 2012 Education Pitso held in Maun in June encouraging other former students to give back to schools in their communities in different parts of the country. The high-ranking public servant, who attended school at Kgari Sechele in the 80s, applauded the initiative but encouraged the pioneers to expedite transformation towards open membership to broaden resource base.
She even suggested that when the time is right for change, the association could become styled Friends of Kgari Sechele II Secondary School to be more accommodating.
The school head Lapologang Kolagano applauded the initiative saying it will go a long way to give impetus to their efforts to improve performance of their learners, according to the association.
Nkokonyane said plans are at an advanced stage for the August 31 fund raising dinner, the proceeds of which will go to the 2012 Prize Giving ceremony. Tickets for the dinner are available for P100 at 71850673, 73850673 or at the school. The association inaugural committee comprises Mosielele, Shinnie Motlhabi (Vice Chairperson), Nicholas Botlhoko (General Secretary), Nkokonyane, Gaone Mlilo (Treasurer General) and additional members Moshe Noga and Rampa Mosweu.
