REHOBOTH – The new principal of Rehoboth High School, George Dax, has warned individuals who peddle drugs to school children to desist from their criminal activities or to face his wrath.
Dax has vowed to request the assistance of the police to remove such elements from society. Dax, who also served as the former mayor of the town, said drug use among learners is one of the biggest challenges faced by the school as some negative influences from society make it easy for learners to access drugs. “We have to be harsh to take out one misbehaving element to save others,” he said, adding that those learners involved in the vandalism of school property would not be shown any mercy as he had made it clear at the beginning of the school year.
Even though Rehoboth High School came out as the third best school in the Hardap Region in the Grade 10 and 12 examination results, Dax said he would like to see the results improve from the present 50 percent pass rate to 70 percent and above. He said they are planning to renovate old classrooms that are in a dilapidated state and build new ones and warned learners who vandalise school property to stop doing that since they would be dismissed if found guilty. “We are strict with that. You only get one chance,” Dax warned the perpetrators of vandalism.
He says regular communication between the school, parents and community is absolutely essential. “Regular communication is very important. We want to communicate with all stakeholders so that the community knows what we want,” he said. Dax who who has been teaching for over 20 years, said that in order to improve performance, they have decided to offer afternoon classes, starting with the orientation of Grade 8 learners, while Grade 9, 10 and 12s will follow suit in the second semester. The Rehoboth High School principal said he would like to see the revival of the school choir as this is an extra-culicullar activity that would boost morale at the school. Discipline is another aspect that needs attention, which is why Dax intends to involve the police and also to carry out regular searches on school premises. “Most parents give lunch money to their children, but they don’t know what the money is spent on,” he said, adding some learners buy drugs with their pocket money. He also wants to encourage learners to make the school the pride of the region and of the country. “To the parents, our doors are always open. When you encounter problems, you are free to call on me,” he said.
By Magreth Nunuhe