All indications are that the once copper mining town will continue to be a beacon of hope in the foreseeable future. This is a town that prides itself in upholding high standard of instructional practices and good school governance.
The bar has been set and there seems to be no turning back. If anybody out there has been in doubt about what makes a school successful, Selebi-Phikwe’s rich and inspiring experience has in the last few years put the issue beyond doubt. Schools can succeed and exceed expectations if increased focus is paid to key factors influencing student learning outcomes.
If the country is looking for what works and does not work, it should look no further than this town. Education systems and educators, if they are to effectively discharge quality education, should never cease learning. The education system must adapt and learn from experience. Each year in the life of school should be a learning experience causing some reflection on the fundamental characteristics of a successful school and factors associated with provision of quality education.
To begin with, it is important to ponder on circumstances that happened outside the boundaries of schools which had the potential to undermine the ability of schools to effectively support and serve students.
The challenges were overwhelming but in a rare story of triumph, Selebi-Phikwe schools stood their ground. One can say a lot happened in the town, which had the potential to reverse student gains.
A school, as it is widely known, can never be an ivory tower. It works and thrives within a cultural, policy and economic context. In the case of Selebi-Phikwe, there has been a sharp economic decline occasioned by the cessation of copper mining activities some seven years ago. As a result, the schools in the town experienced a cultural shock. Suddenly schools were surrounded by a rising number of parents, guardians and care givers struggling to meet financial obligations to schools responsible for the education of their children. The external environment of schools shifted dramatically from relative opulence to one of scarcity and poverty.
Faced with dwindling economic fortunes of the town, a number of parents recoiled back into their ancestral rural lands and some in the process left their children in the town to continue their studies with little or no parental supervision. Some of the children stepped into the big shoes of their parents and instantly became parents taking care of their siblings.
Limited or absence of parental support could ruin a school. With the closure of the mine, the schools came to face some uncertain future as parental or donor support was no longer guaranteed. However, in spite of their economic hardships, the love that the parents here in Selebi-Phikwe have for their schools has not diminished. It is the desire of almost every parent to keep Selebi-Phikwe on top of the academic log and therefore the culture of donating whatever little they have or lending support to schools remains strong and well.
As if this is not enough, schools continue to face an array of challenges in their attempts to mobilise supporting inputs. This challenge is national in scope and should not be seen as peculiar to Selebi-Phikwe. Perhaps due to the present nation’s precarious economic climate, schools longer get enough financial injection to acquire an array of supporting instruments, which affect student learning outcomes. Challenges of inadequate textbook supply, teacher guides, insufficient and dilapidated facilities and limited teacher professional development activities are real and continue to plague schools. There is no regional education set-up that can claim to be immune to these challenges. In spite of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Selebi-Phikwe schools continue to display a rare and unmatched resilient and indefatigable spirit.
The schools are riding over the storms. The inspirational example that Selebi-Phikwe has set is enough motivation for educators to pay a greater attention to teaching and learning processes happening within schools. Schools in Selebi-Phikwe don’t invest energy in lamenting over matters which are beyond reach. There is a positive climate fuelling all to focus on developing and harnessing what is within the region’s control. Through Selebi-Phikwe, once again it is becoming increasingly clear that factors within a school cannot be disregarded anymore.
The one common denominator is that all schools in Phikwe that have been successfully managed out of mediocrity and underachievement, is that they were all led. Leadership nurtures a school climate and enabling conditions permitting students to unleash their very best selves. Children, like a little plant, need to be loved, cared for and watered so that they can bloom. The one thing certain about Selebi-Phikwe schools is that teachers love what they do and principals are good in their management roles. It is this passion that triggers off creativity and selfless service. What is a school without a good principal? Any building professing to be a school should set the right climate if it is to effectively support and serve students. For three years, all the six junior secondary schools in Selebi-Phikwe took the country by storm because of sound leadership. For three consecutive years all the junior secondary schools have known nothing but phenomenal growth. Besides the current national champions, Meepong Junior Secondary School, significant and noteworthy growth has been noted at Boikhutso, Lebogang and Phatsimo junior secondary schools.
Within a short period of three years, Boikhutso JSS achieved significant student gains from 47.6% in 2020, to 51.1 %( 2021) and 59.8% in 2022. Not to be left behind Lebogang JSS experienced a dramatic leap from 38.9% (2020) to 65.6% (2021) and the schools almost repeated the feat in 2021 at 61%. The theme of growth and progress is also noticed at Phatsimo JSS having jumped from 62.25 in 2020 to 67.3% in 2022. Like any other school in Selebi-Phikwe, these schools are properly led. The principals are not there by default. Guided by a sense of urgency, the school principals continue to ensure that teaching and learning processes are subjected to close and regular scrutiny. Accountability is high and it pushes teachers to bring their best selves to work. When taken seriously like in the Selebi-Phikwe context, accountability encourages every teacher to take responsibility over what is happening in their classrooms. After every examination cycle, student achievement data is thoroughly examined to gauge strengths and identify areas requiring attention. Subsequent to the 2022 examination season, underachieving subject areas were identified and work has begun in earnest to close gaps identified.
Teacher capacity building and collaboration are fundamental in the continuing quest for improved learning outcomes in this town. Writing in 1996, Ward Heneveld and Helen Craig underscored internal school factors associated with learning outcomes such as high expectations of students and teachers, students’ evaluation, high time in school and order and discipline. Selebi-Phikwe’s reputation is working well for the students. Freshers consider their admission into Sebeli-Phikwe a great and rewarding privilege. The schools are serving them well and learners try hard to reciprocate. Selebi-Phikwe expects learners to work hard and excel and students are equally applying themselves to uphold the standard of proficiency set. Above all there is order in schools. There is indeed an intimate relationship between order and learning outcomes
