By Kefiloe Kajane
The Covid-19 pandemic cut swathes across the broad spectrum of society, turning human activities upside down and, in the process, disrupting normal schooling as learners engaged in ‘stop-go’ learning.
Schools around the country were forced to close down as a measure to protect pupils and students from contracting the virus that has killed millions globally, and over 300 people in Lesotho.
There were many challenges that learners and teachers as the pandemic tightened its grip, and the 2020 external end-of-year examinations were affected as they were postponed to early 2021.
A huge chunk of grade 12 students performed poorly in the examinations. However, students in some high schools worked tirelessly to achieve good results against all odds.
One of the schools that performed exceptionally well is Leqele High School, which is based in Maseru.
The school obtained a 90 percent pass rate in its Junior Certificate results and 83 percent in the Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education results.
The school’s principal, ‘Mantebele Mahamo, conceded that it was indeed a challenging schooling year.
Sharing the recipe for the school’s success, Mahamo emphasized that it was important for them to keep students motivated at all times even when they were not attending classes physically.
She said, as teachers, they resolved to involve parents as they spent more time at home with their children.
“We decidded that we were going to create an online group which included parents because we knew that parents would be able to motivate the students. All the school work we had for students, tests and results were posted in the group. We knew that when a parent saw that a certain student performed well, they would push their own child to do better.
“That rivalry between parents created a space where our students were motivated to put in the extra effort. Also, since it was during the lockdown, we made grouped the learners according to their villages so they could work together. Not only, but teachers were always on hand to monitor the learners’ progress; so basically, it was all a matter of team work,” she said.
Mahamo continued: “The most important thing was discipline for both our students and teachers. We made sure we reminded them that they should not allow this temporary setback to hold them back. We made sure that we motivated our students. We would also invite former students to the school as part of motivating the learners,” she said.
Speaking to theReporter one of the Leqele students who made it to the national top 3 of best performers, Thapelo Mocheko, was delighted that his hard work paid off.
“It was challenging, preparing for examinations during the pandemic, especially studying online as it required a lot of internet data. I made it a point to stay firmly focused during the lockdown.
“I was determined to stay positive no matter what, because I knew that any negative thoughts could adversely affect me and my school work. Most importantly, I was trusting in God because I could not do anything without Him.
“Our teachers and parents supported every step of the way, and it felt like everything was normal. I would like to encourage the students who will be writing this year that they, too, can easily pass because it is possible. The most important things are focus, reading, discipline and constant praying,” Mocheko said.
A parent, Limakotso Seleso, said it was important for parents to support their children in their education. She said it is the responsibility of parents to create an environment where a children are equipped with sufficient resources in order to study well.
“I know it was a difficult time but we tried our best, and we are very proud that we were able to motivated the students towards such great results,” she said.
