Children coming to school late a concern
It was a disgrace to see more than 40 students locked outside the school premises because of their late arrival.
Dear parents, students and educators,
I am a stakeholder in the education of our students, a parent and elder of a church. I recently visited a public secondary school in Mohlakeng as motivational speaker and my greatest concern was late arrivals at school.
It must be noted that school is an institution of teaching and learning. The role of the educator is to teach the students, to equip the students, to prosper the students, to shape the future and destiny of the students. The role of the student is to learn, to do classwork, to do homework, to do assignments, to do projects etc.
However, more is expected and required from the students, namely respect,obedience and submission which are found in Romans 13 and Ephesians 6.
Respect is a reciprocal process that is two-way traffic. Respect produces harmony and unity between the educator and the students. Respect produces a strong bond between the educator and the students.
Cause of late arrival at school:
1. Students drag their feet when coming to school
2. Some students go to fetch their friends at their homes thus they become late for school. Late arrival disturbs teaching and learning. Late arrival distracts attention and concentration of students.
During assembly, the deputy principal explained the policy of the Department of Education, which states that if any student is not within the premises of the school by 8am he/ she is deemed to be absent in the class register.
After I had delivered my message to the students, I went to the principal who was at the school gate. It was a disgrace to see more than 40 students locked outside the school premises because of their late arrival. By then, it was 8.20am. As a parent and stakeholder, I had to plead and negotiate with the principal to allow the students inside the school.
Yours in education.
