D Peters: Northern Cape matric awards ceremony

28 December 2006

Programme Director
MECs, MPs & MPLs
Head of the departments
Representatives of the private sector
Chairperson of the Premier’s Bursary Fund
Official of the Departmental Education
Representatives of school governing bodies
Principals and educators
Honoured guests,
Parents and most of all our learners

We are gathered here at the CRC today to recognise and celebrate the
achievements and successes of the class of 2006. We do so, conscious of the
fact that through their academic and various other educational achievements,
they continue to make us proud as people of the Northern Cape and the country
as a whole.

The success that we achieved as a province in the Senior Certificate
examinations is made even more significant by the fact that it coincides with
the 30th Anniversary of Struggle fought by young people in 1976 who dared to
fight and die for a non-racial, non-sexist and a democratic education system in
our country.

More noteworthy of this class of 2006 is the fact that they’re were the
first to enrol in (Grade 1) within the new democratic dispensation just after
1994 general elections and now12 years later they emerge at the turning point
of their High School life fully equipped to join various institutions of higher
learning to further their studies.

This is an era that defines also the 50th anniversary of the women march to
the Union Building in Pretoria in 1956, the day that women of all backgrounds
braced all odds, ignored all warnings and joined forces to march to the Union
Buildings in Pretoria to demand the scrapping of Pass Laws and all other
repressive laws that were discriminating against black people in general and
women in particular.

It is in this Age of Hope that we should uphold and cherish the ideals that
most of our people fought hard for, throughout the struggle to freedom and for
better life, because today’s occasion represents the complete reward of our
commitment to ensure that “doors of learning and culture are open for all.”

In one of his assertion in the early days prior his release from prison, our
father, leader, and one of the great sons of Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
said, and I quote:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God
Your playing small does not serve the world
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around you
We are all meant to shine, as children do
We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates
others” unquote.
In this, age of hope, we are convinced that the light as seen through the eyes
of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is now closer than ever before the class of
2006.

Programme Director,
Today as we participate in this ceremony, we all would know that, we have
entered into a sacred space. We would all agree to the fact that everything
outside of this space shrivels in importance.

This is when time takes on a different dimension and emotions flow more
freely. It is the time when all of our bodies are filled with the energy of
life, and this energy reaches out and blesses the creation around us. All that
is presented here today is made possible by the class of 2006.

Congratulations and well done to all of you.

Today we’re celebrating the people who first had to ask themselves the
question, “What would I want to be when I grow up? Those are the learners who
understood the importance of education; they’re those who understand the
challenges facing our country, problems of unemployment, poverty, and under
development. These learners today present us with hope, that soon we would have
enough doctors, we would have nurses at our hospitals, engineers to build roads
and bridges to enhance economic activity, accountants and lawyers of
tomorrow.

These are the learners who did what they where told to do by their parents,
teachers, principals and that has brought them and granted them the ticket to
enter the celebration of the 2006 Senior Certificates with all of us today.
Therefore on behalf of the Northern Cape, I would like to thank all of you, for
choosing the light as seen by Nelson Mandela and not the darkness.

Although we are aware of the fact that we’ve accomplished great things, we
should also be aware that we did not just only act, but our actions were backed
by powerful dreams; dreams that we transformed into achievable plans and
programmes throughout 12 years of study, throughout years of teaching, support
and guidance.

As parents, teachers and the broader community, we did what we had to do, to
produce these outcomes on Senior Certificates, aware of the fact that Education
therefore, is a process of living and a preparation for future living, that
would free us from all sorts of difficulties we remain faced with.

And it would only be appropriate to say that, all those who never took the
opportunity presented to them, were certain on missing the train to a better
future and were fearful of the light we all could see.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The outcomes of the Senior Certificate Examination and the performance of
our learners this year should have a particular significance to all of us. They
take place soon just after the 16th Conference of Commonwealth Education
Ministers that took place in Cape Town under the theme: Access to Quality
Education: For the Good of All.

Within this overarching theme, the Education Ministers were able to address
a range of issues related to access and quality of education in the 53 member
countries. Our country as well had the opportunity to share with other
stakeholders in education strategies and ways on improving our education
system.

The most difficult aspects of the legacy of apartheid to unwind arise from
its deliberately inferior system of education and irrational patterns of
population settlement. In this period of growth it is evident that we lack
sufficient skilled professionals, managers and artisans, and that the uneven
quality of education remains a contributory factor.

The greatest impediment for our country currently is shortage of skills –
including professional skills such as engineers and scientists; managers such
as financial, personnel and project managers; and skilled technical employees
such as artisans and IT technicians. The shortfall is due to the policies of
the apartheid era and the slowness of our education and skills development
institutions to catch up with the current acceleration of economic growth.

It is for this reason that our government through the Accelerated and Shared
Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) responses continues to develop
educational interventions to raise the level of skills in areas needed by the
economy and to ensure the acquiring of skills needed.

Soon we would be launching our Provincial Human Resource Development (HRD)
Strategy as part of the 2nd anniversary of the Northern Cape Provincial Growth
and Development Strategy. Key to this forthcoming event is the launching of our
3-year skills development programme for further address challenges facing our
province.

Together we can achieve more to address these imbalances, when we consider
that this year, about 100 top performing learners will receive bursaries to
pursue various studies that would further contribute to our Provincial Growth
and Development Strategy.

Furthermore, there are also various departmental bursaries offered to
learners who intend pursing career contributing to the needs identified, i.e.
Social Service offers bursaries for candidates interested in studying to become
social workers, the department of education offers bursaries for candidates who
interested in education profession and so on.

Programme Director,
The 2006 Senior Certificate Examination results showed a gradually stabilising
performance, which represents a clear transition from past. The past of which I
speak about is well known to all of us.
It is a past where much focus was placed only on Grade 12 performance without
building a solid foundation at lower grades to enhance good performance
throughout the system,
The past that enhanced a skewed distribution of resources, wealth and
opportunities, that benefited a few,
The past that allowed only a few to access education, so as to deepen
inequalities in our society as it is presently.

Therefore we should try hard not to allow the situation as argued by Neville
Alexander when he says that “unless something special occurs shortly, then
South Africa, after decades of a just anti-apartheid struggle for freedom,
democracy, human dignity, equality and justice would simply settle into a
normal country.

Such a normal or ordinary country would be marked by the two major economic
classes – The extremely rich and the extremely poor, and by gross inequality,
while freedom, human dignity, democracy and justice would be limited to the
few. The complete opposite of what most of us have fought hard for”.

We are aware that the road ahead is still long, and requires no ordinary
solutions. It require lots of determination from all us, to ensure that all
learners achieve high academic standards, according to their talents and their
abilities, and that as a democratic state, we provide the conducive environment
necessary for this to happen.

Programme Director,
We are proud that, once more, our province has continued to perform better as
in the other years, in that we have produced more learners who would not
struggle to meet the university entrance or admission requirements.

The encouraging 76.8% pass rate achieved by the class of 2006 should be
viewed as a stepping-stone towards better performance in the future. Let us
encourage more learner enrolment to ensure that all of people enjoy the fruits
of democracy.

We are proud that we have continued with our steady improvement in terms of
the provision of quality public education to all our learners.

I take this opportunity to applaud the remarkable achievements of the four
districts in our province more especially the Namakwa District that assumes the
top performance position year by year.

The Frances Baard District follows after sometime taking the second position
also further inspiring us, to actively witness our efforts and interest in the
education. We hope that other districts would take a leaf from the positive
performance that we are witnessing here today, and demonstrate their commitment
as well.

The achievements of these schools undoubtedly indicate their determination
to rise to the challenge of providing the best education to the children
entrusted in their care.

It is schools such as Sutherland High School, Elizabeth Conradie School,
Upington High School and Douglas and many other schools which obtained a 100%
pass rate, which we can derive some sense of preparedness on the side of
teacher, to teach and parents to offer support and guidance and learners to
work hard.

Such performance indicates that together we can multiply the little we can
in order to ensure that our children get what they deserve. It is indeed worth
mentioning, that Hauman Jacobus Eduard of Kalahari High School has obtained his
Senior Certificate with distinction and endorsement and also obtained the
highest aggregate in all subjects, i.e. Mathematics HG, Physical Science HG,
Economics HG, Accounting HG, Afrikaans First Language HG, English First
Language HG, therefore winning himself the Top performer of the Year Award for
2006.

Likewise Van Zyl Ruaan, of Diamantveld High School winner of the second
position, and Olivier Ingrid Kimberley Girls’ High School our third top
performing award winner, communicates a clear message therefore that it is
possible, for all the schools and learners to achieve great performance through
hard work and determination.

Programme Director
I wish to take this opportunity to pass special thank in recognising our
educators, for they have prepared our learners, and the entire class of 2006,
for their final school examinations as well as all other examinations,
throughout the years.

I am sure that those that some of the Educators who are defined by values
such as hard work; respect for children and women; who some without no doubt
received the teachers awards this year when we were officially honouring our
educators for their excellent work.

Let it be your task to continue to nurture our children and to transform our
society.

Our children’s education and their aspirations for a better tomorrow rest in
your power and strength, because you have choice to break or make.

I particularly wish to recognise the wonderful learners who took the
opportunity to shine like all children do and today we’re acknowledging your
exceptional performance as top learners throughout our schools, I wish you all
the successes beyond this occasion.

Take the awards that are to be conferred to you this afternoon, as the
beginning of a road to success. As government, we have this year dedicated a
number of bursaries once more for the top performers who performed to the best
of their abilities.

Through this Bursary Funds and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, we
can open more doors of learning and culture for many of those that are
determined to pursue education at higher institutions of learning. Mr Mojanaga
would take you through the requirements and procedures to be followed.

In conclusion, Programme Director, the gains we have accomplished as country
would translate into real achievements if young people, seize the opportunities
that our democracy has produced.

Accordingly, let us continue to do more towards the finalisation of the last
phase of the Curriculum Implementation. Let us also ensure that we position our
Further Education and Training Colleges to provide the requisite skills needed
for our growing economy.

With the current performance of learners in Mathematic and Science, let us
continue to put continued emphasis on the importance of these subjects
provision, and ensure more learners are enrolled more especially the girl
learner, such that we could bridge the gab and bad lock on skills and
competencies for a growing and increasingly global economy.

Let me express our sincerest gratitude to the parents and guardians of these
learners; for assisting and guiding them throughout this challenging
period;

I thank all of our social partners, notably our sponsors present here today,
who offered various bursaries to many of our learners, and their ongoing
commitment to our province.

Let me pass a special gratitude to our officials, who continue to work hard
to ensure that we realise the ideals of the freedom charter that doors of
education shall opened for all.

I know that my will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall
be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before
me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose,
only I hold the key to my destiny. The future is here, now, and the past is
full of actual deeds, real history.

I thank you!

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
28 December 2006