Berea, April 16 — Through the journey that started with only three classrooms made up of 70 students and three teachers in 1971, Dahon High School marked the 50th Golden Jubilee on Saturday at Mapoteng, Berea district.
At the occasion, Minister of Education Professor Ntoi Rapapa urged Dahon students not undermine themselves, but consider themselves as role models of other people in society.
Professor Rapapa said students should learn to accept their conditions and where they have some abilities they should use them such in order to build their future.
Professor Rapapa also congratulated the role played by the teachers in modelling students to different careers whilst also encouraging students to always respect their teachers and to consider their advice, moreover he urged parents to advise their children to be persistent in their dreams.
In her remarks, Dahon High School Acting Principal Mrs. Mathakane Motšekalle said the day was meant to reflect back on the milestone of success and also to acknowledge God for the support of taking them throughout the journey of golden jubilee although they were supposed to celebrate it in 2021, which they failed to do due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Mrs. Motšekalle said the school registered their first students who sat for Junior Certificate (JC) examinations in 1973.
Moreover, the Acting Principal mentioned that in 1980 they registered at high school level whereby in 1981 their first batch of students wrote Cambridge Overseas Senior Certificate (COSC) examinations and in 1983 they recorded some outstanding results by obtaining a third position countrywide.
Mrs. Motšekalle added that as they progressed, the school was administered by Holy Family Sisters and continued to shine naming some of its products such as Minister of Education and Training (MOET) Professor Ntoi Rapapa and others in different sectors of development.
Despite of the successes, Mrs. Motšekalle said the school still faced challenges inclusive of running practical subjects such as Design and Technology, Information Technology, Fashion and Textile, and Food and Nutrition, which she mentioned do not have current proper iding tools or equipment meant to meet the demands of such subjects.
Besides the tools, Mrs. Motšekalle confirmed that they also lack skilled teachers on the former subjects.
Makhoroana Member of Parliament (MP) Mr. Tšitso Cheba who is also alumni of the same school, expressed how proud he is of his moment at Dahon with the knowledge gained on principles of good leadership and discipline.
Mr. Cheba pointed out the foundation from the school paved his way to the role of Class Monitor at young age, adding that at later stage he was elected to a position of School Prefect up to Head prefect level, moreover he urged prefects not to allow students to go on strike under their leadership because that can destroy their reputation in future.
Representing one of 1972 students of Dahon, Mr. Lefokotsa Seeisa said before the school was established, students around Mapoteng used to face a serious crisis of moving around the country in search of schools, and that decision was the best ever to erect a school.
Mr. Seeisa said one of the first Principals of the school used to force students and every Catholic Church member to bring a stone to the school facility and as a result some parents of that period were against that idea, but they now have a school out of an idea which started as a joke.
During the same event, ex-students of Dahon high school from 1980 to 1990 presented the awards to at least ten students for different categories which includes, best performing students, most disciplined and even to those hard working students; despite the hardships of their family’s background.
From three teachers and three classroom serving 70 students, Dahon High School is reported to have enjoyed growth to a point whereby it currently has 16 classrooms served by 35 teachers of which 29 are government granted, while six are school are catered for by the school.
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