Programme Director
President of SAGSA, Mrs Robenson
Principals and Vice Principals present here today
Ladies and gentlemen
Molweni, good afternoon, goeie middag
I wish to begin my brief address by reading you an extract from the speech presented by the Deputy President of our country Mr Kgalema Motlanthe at the Education International sixth World Congress in Cape Town last year.
In that speech he said: “Two weeks ago I came across an inspiring story in the local press about a young lady, Thabisa Xhalisa, who was born in prison in 1983 during apartheid and was released, together with her twin brother, into the care of her 13-year-old sister, who was a domestic worker at the time.
By the time she turned 13 Ms Xhalisa had become a domestic worker herself and had to take care of an unemployed mother as well as her siblings. Today, this young lady has, despite these odds, managed to become a lecturer at the University of Cape Town and is a PhD candidate. Needless to say that on the whole Ms Xhalisa's experience of incredible human triumph over heavy odds made possible by access to public education is an exception rather than the rule.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I read you this extracts by our Deputy President because it captures perfectly the old adage that says “when you educate a man you educate a person, but when you educate a woman you educate a nation”.
For a number of years and especially among Africans a girl child was attached to the kitchen rather than going to school. This disadvantaged a number of girl children and many of them ended up with no formal schooling and some were sent to arranged marriages by their parents.
However with the advent of democracy and promotion of human rights, today there is more emphasis for the girl child to get an education and pursue careers that were previously reserved for man. These include careers in commerce, finance, engineering, entrepreneurship etc.
I don’t mean to be boastful but the results are there for everyone to see. Today we have many young women leading in both the political and business spectra in our country. This has not been caused by a miracle but, by the realisation and appreciation by government and society that the role of women in nation building is as equally important as that of men.
This has also been made tangible by the acknowledgement that investing in the education of the girl child will eventually lead to reduction of poverty in our country.
As you meet here over the next 2 days, to deliberate on how you are going to improve girl schools in the country, you meet on the background of government’s efforts to improve the quality of education in the country.
Since 1994, we have successfully integrated racially and ethnically based education departments into one national system. The quality of education leaves much room for improvement as depicted by the 2011 grade 12 results, especially in our province.
While many public schools especially those in previously disadvantaged areas are struggling, girl schools and former model C schools are performing excellently. This is due to a number of factors which impact on the performance of these schools.
As government we have committed to provide a conductive environment for education to take place and that includes providing the infrastructure, learning materials, training and support to teachers.
I am quite certain that your organisation has a role to play too. I am therefore posing a challenge to you to adopt our public schools that cater for girls and share with them some of your best practices.
Many girls in our public schools face numerous challenges every day. These range from falling pregnant, abuse by male counterparts and dealing with problems from their homes and thereby resulting in them losing their self-esteem.
Your organisation and girl learners from your schools can change the fortunes of these girl children and I am hopeful that this is a challenge you can embrace and rise up to.
By taking up this challenge you will also be contributing towards a call by our elder statesman, Tata Nelson Mandela when he said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
I know this message may be a bit heavy for welcoming you. But I have no doubt in my mind that with your culture of excellence, such as our hosts who achieved 100% pass rates over that past 19 years, you have a lot to offer. Together let us make our schools centres of excellence that transcend every barrier to produce women that make our world a better place. I therefore wish you success in your deliberations.
I thank you.
