Address by MEC for Education Ishmael Kgetjepe at the Dialogue on Teenage Pregnancy and 2015 Provincial Spelling Bee Competition, Meropa Casino, Polokwane, Limpopo
Programme Director,
Prof Ralenala Acting HoD
Curriculum support SGM
General Managers
School principals
School governing bodies
Our educators
Our learners,
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Our learners have according to me delivered the keynote address in the dialogue we just witnessed here tonight. What we just saw amplifies my pleasure to be here with all of you this evening and more pleasing is seeing our learners slugging it out on a careful chosen topic, which is quite relevant to our sector. I must admit that teenage pregnancy in schools or anywhere else is very much worrying more especially when it is linked to poverty, but it is one of the realities of the age we live in and it is one of the issues that we must all take personal interest in for the sake of our children in schools. Our schools are not insulated from the challenges plaguing communities we live in.
That is why it is always important for communities to unite and protect the integrity of our schools. We must keep hammering the spirit of partnership in order for us to address the issues of drugs, alcohol abuse and what our learners had as a topic for their dialogue. I am sure that you will agree with me that the issue of teenage pregnancy is a complex one and has multiple contributing factors that are common knowledge to many of us, one being the one that our learners just pointed out in their dialogue. In the same manner, there must be multiple responses to this serious challenge facing us not only us as a sector but our country and many other countries.
The fact that it is complex, it warrants us to seek lasting solutions not just quick fixes. We therefore appreciate and look to opportunities like this one where we gather and allow our learners, who are mostly affected, to raise each other’s awareness amongst themselves around the issues of teenagers falling pregnant and immediately pointing a finger at poverty. My beloved learners, poverty should be what motivate you not to fall pregnant. It should be an encouraging factor for you to stay in school to better yourselves and your families. Let no one tell you otherwise that they will provide for you but stay in school in order to provide for yourselves. Finish school first and you will finish poverty and take it from me you will be able to tell poverty where to get off. The message is clear, stay away from adult activities that will render you poor and dependent for the rest of your lives.
It is important that we must work very closely with the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health to carefully envision a prosperous society where a girl child’s rights and welfare are protected by society, government and herself. We must together envision a country where a girl child is given equal opportunities to fulfil her potential and immensely contribute to the brighter future of the nation.
Remember a serious percentage of about 20percent of the South African population, according to Census, are adolescents between ages of 10 and 19 years. This means that young people are going to determine the fate of this country. These are the people who will be instrumental in building this country towards prosperity but only if we invest in their education, only if they stay in schools and not drop out. We must also invest in their health including sexual and reproductive health and ensure that when they are in schools they are given equal opportunities to develop to their full potential. We know sadly that for millions of our adolescents, this is not the case.
This issue remains a development problem, deeply rooted in gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriages, power imbalances between adolescents’ boys and girls, lack of education. I cannot stress enough that education is a critical element of youth skills and capacity development. Needless to say, South Africa has a liberal policy that allows pregnant girls to proceed with their education, but many pregnant girls do not return to schools. We need to work harder in raising more awareness and restoring self-esteem in girls as well as boys to be focused on their lives and make sound judgements with regards to their sexuality.
My beloved learners, abstinence should naturally be the first choice before you can think of other education and health endeavours that will keep you in schools longer and avoid pregnancies. So please abstain and wait for the right time but now this is the time for books and nothing else.
Programme director, the challenge is always, how do we work in an integrated manner, how do we complement one another’s work. We cannot do it alone given the complexity of the issue. It calls for collaborative partnerships and multi-sectoral approach at all levels of society including adolescents themselves, parents, community leaders, traditional leaders, inter-faith communities and all government structures. I am agreeing with our learners that indeed poverty should not be an excuse for teenagers to fall pregnant. Return home with this message and tell your peers the importance of staying in schools to learn and emerge with the best ammunition to deal with poverty decisively.
Programme director, I understand that tomorrow some of our learners will be participating in the 2015 Provincial Spelling BEE and debate competition wherein the best speller will proceed to represent us in the National Spelling BEE competition. Spelling like maths and reading is a skill to be mastered, a skill that will open the door of the future. Having gotten this far in the competition required intelligence, concentration and preparation. Being successful, as all of you are aware, takes more than luck and much more than raw talent.
Thomas Edison, An American inventor and businessman once said that genius is 1percent inspiration and 99percent perspiration. But whether you are the one who goes to the National competition or not, you must know that you have done an awesome job so far. You have demonstrated that you have the discipline and determination to succeed in school and later in life. In my book, that makes you all winners, whether you go to the National competition or not. I can assure you that the knowledge of English you have gained will be of use to you for the rest of your lives.
Even in the days of computers with spell checks, nothing compares to spelling because it improves reading and writing fluency, as well as vocabulary and comprehension. It helps learners’ master basics of language, especially learners who may struggle with reading. We want tomorrow’s competition to be a competitive and fun way to encourage learners to read more and spell better.
I would like to thank everyone who volunteered time and effort to helping learners prepare for this competition. Suffice to say as I conclude that South Africa will reach its potential only if you and other young people are willing to strive to reach your potential. After this day’s proceedings, I happen to think there is every reason to have confidence in the future. Best of luck to all the learners who will be competing in the Spelling BEE competition
Just like Thomas Edison puts it “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up” We are saying to our learners that do not fall pregnant, stay in school and do not give up or drop out because of poverty. You are always close to success when you are in school.
I thank you very much.
