Online Reporter
Sunday News Reporter
Officials at Petra Senior College have raised serious concerns regarding the sudden decline in academic performance among some of their pupils, suggesting that emotional and psychological factors may be influencing their behavior in class.
Teachers have noted that several students appear to be disengaged and preoccupied during lessons, prompting the need for immediate intervention.
According to one concerned teacher, “We had to convene an urgent meeting with some of the parents to address this issue. It has become increasingly evident that students are appearing lost and engrossed in something beyond their studies, which is adversely affecting their performance.”
Among the pupils reportedly exhibiting these troubling trends are Ntombizodwa Mathe, Faith Mlambo, Tecla Imbayarwo, Judith Mkwananzi, and Liberty Mlilo.
The teachers’ observations indicate that these students might be grappling with challenges that extend beyond the classroom, necessitating a deeper understanding and support from both educators and parents.
The school officials are calling for a collaborative effort to identify and address the underlying issues faced by these students. They believe that by working together, they can create a supportive environment that fosters both academic success and emotional well-being.
“We have also engaged our parent Ministry to see how this can be resolved and whether investigations can be carried out, because at times the problem could be at home and there might be need to approach it carefully to get to the bottom of it.
“As teachers we naturally get worried when we see an intelligent student suddenly changing and performing badly, which is why some of us decided to also approach the media to put pressure on our superiors to help get to the bottom of this,” said one of the teachers.
Efforts to get a comment from Petra officials were fruitless as they had not responded to questions emailed to them, while the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education confirmed that they were investigating the matter.
Colletta Dube