Principals Report

It is my privilege to greet the Board and present my first report of the 2006 school year. On behalf of my administration and the entire academic staff, I would like to re-assure you of our continuing commitment to work towards realizing the Academy’s mission of providing its pupils with access to an affordable world-class education
 

We are aware that private Secondary Schools in Botswana are facing ever-increasing challenges. Emerging new private schools, economic recession and a shrinking expatriate population in the country are some of the major contributing factors. Most of the private secondary schools in the country are beginning to feel the pinch. On top of that there has been a trend for some time that professional teachers, who are looking for greener pastures capitalize on the high demand for experienced and resourceful teachers in some countries in Europe, America and the Middle East.

They are attracted by better conditions and prospects, offered by these countries. It is not always easy to replace good teachers because of the shortage of experienced and resourceful teachers in some subjects. I am happy to report that our school has been so far successful, not only in weathering the storm but also making further progress, even in this unfavourable situation. In this respect, I would like to thank the Managing Director Mrs. Rubadiri and the Board of Governors especially the Chairlady Mrs. Hamilton for their unflinching support and co-operation.

I wish to use this opportunity to outline our achievements and important developments in the past few months.

Enrolment

As of today the Academy’s enrolment is still ongoing, however it is currently at 677. Form enrolments now stand as follows:

According to these numbers the school is completely full. Form 1 and the Upper School Forms except HIGCSE and AS are oversubscribed. In terms of teaching, Forms 4 & 5 are timetabled into option groups. This is a key administrative tool that allows us to offer more choice with less staff than most other schools and subject groups are relatively smaller. I am happy and proud to report that we have waiting lists for some of the Forms to replace any student who may withdraw from the school for whatever reasons.
 
Also a record number of students have already been registered and taken an Entrance Test for the 2008 Form 1 intake. This may result in closing the 2008 Form 1 admission even by the end of June this year. We could capitalize on this favourable situation by increasing the 2008 Form 1 classes from three to four. The high demand for places is a true reflection of our academic excellence and growing reputation.

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