renaming of Agisanang Primary School as the Tim Modise Primary School,
Ga-rankuwa
23 January 2006
Tim Modise
Teachers and learners
Distinguished guests
It gives me enormous pleasure to say a few words at this renaming ceremony.
Thank you for inviting me.
Ke rata go nka tshono e ke leboge Foundation ya ga Tim Modise go menagane. Le
dira tiro e e tswileng mabogo segolo bogolo go re ema nokeng re le Lefapha la
Thuto go tsweletsa thuto ya bana ba rona pele!!
Tim Modise has a special place in the hearts of our people and I am sure
that the young pupils at this school will, in time, come to realise what an
honour it is to have started their education in a school that is named after
him.
They may not know it now, but they will know it in the future. In this
ceremony Tim Modise has added great impetus to the crucial initiative of
âgiving backâ to the schools that shaped our media, business and political
leaders.
Last year I called on media celebrities and business people to donate their
time and resources to improving state schools. All our schools need to
cultivate a closer relationship with their past pupils - their alumni.
Understandably, this was not a pattern under apartheid for the majority of our
pupils.
However, we have enjoyed 11 years of freedom and enough time has elapsed for
past pupils to seek to improve the schools that shaped their future prospects
and values.
It is time for our new role models to give back and to develop a culture of
giving back. The decision taken by Tim Modise Foundation to adopt-a-learner,
adopt-a-school will make a huge difference to the school and the Ga-rankuwa
community.
Even if the province abolishes school fees for this school, it will still need
community support. All state schools, fee-free or not, welcome donations;
because the richer the resources available for learning the richer the
experience of learning is for our children.
Despite our education success in many regards, the opening of the school
year appears to have been better managed and received by parents and pupils
than ever before, many challenges remain in our primary school sector.
The gross enrolment rate is excellent but reading and writing skills are not.
We need to give our primary school pupils the best foundation we can in reading
and writing and number work.
We need to ensure that they learn the basics in the first few years at
school. We need to ensure they learn the basics, because if they do not, it
becomes more and more difficult to catch up as they grow older.
And it is critically important that in the foundation phase our pupils learn in
their mother tongues. Children who learn in their mother tongue in the early
years of schooling become more competent in the basic skills of reading,
writing and number work. We need to nourish our pupils in the best way we can
right from the start of their school careers and even before in Grade R and in
early learning centres.
Our aims are simple, learn to read, learn to write and learn in a language
that is your mother tongue. The best way to do that is in a learning
environment that is rich in resources of a variety of kinds. Teachers need
adequate resources to teach. Teachers need book collections, internet
connections or a resources centre. They are the crucial to school
effectiveness. They enable effective learning and teaching to develop and
flourish.
The Tim Modise Foundation is setting a wonderful example to other foundations
and other individuals who have a lot to give back to their schools and
communities.
Well done and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Issued by: Ministry of Education
23 January 2006
