Free State MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mr. Dan Kgothuleto support Popano Secondary School
In January this year, the MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mr Dan Kgothule, visited schools and public places around Botshabelo accompanied by provincial Police Generals, as part of the National Police Day celebrations.
Popano Secondary School was one of the schools visited, for a number of reasons. Popano Secondary School is one of the three (3) ‘oldest’ existing schools in Botshabelo and this school faces several challenges. The school is classified as a Quintile One school and has, for some years, struggled with the lack of proper development, resulting in the learners’ performance being very low.
In 2010, they obtained 66% matric pass, which declined drastically from 2011 (42.3%) and 2012 (32.3%). But in 2013, the pass rate improved from 32.3% to 89%. This was one of the reasons Mr. Kgothule chose to work with the school. The school houses 521 Learners and 27 Educators.
However, the school is not immune to recent challenges of gangsterism prevalent in many other schools within Botshabelo. This can largely be attributed to the lack of sport or arts activities that can keep learners’ minds activated and positively occupied.
It is for this reason that Mr Kgothule saw the necessity to develop an intervention program to assist learners, teachers, the School Governing Body (SGB) and parents of learners at the school.
Mr Kgothule has committed to award 12 learners with bursaries. Six (6) of these will be part of the 10 annual bursary allocations for the MEC. The other six will be afforded an opportunity to study in Turkey and China, respectively.
Mr Kgothule further committed that the whole school’s wall will be painted to symbolize renewal and commitment to success. Plans have also been put in place for the building of a laboratory, to enhance the performance of learners and help achieve the goal of 100% pass rate in mathematics, science and biology.
A food Security Program will be introduced in the form of a school gardening program, which will enhance the school’s ability to generate income and help alleviate the scourge of poverty in most families.
The Educational Program will assist in the matriculates’ language performance. Mr Kgothule committed the theatre play nothing but the truth, a prescribed book for matriculates, to be introduced for these learners. These learners will also be trained to perform a play around the book, to be staged at the Civic Theatre in Bloemfontein.
There will also be a facilitation of the formation of a Sport Committee at the school. The department will provide training and support (capacity building) on the sport program to be rolled out at the school.
There will be an introduction of inter-school leagues on various sporting codes, which will ultimately be linked with other schools. Mr Kgothule has further committed that those teachers who work tirelessly to develop and improve the lives of our country’s citizens, should also be celebrated.
In order to achieve this, there will be a well done function staged in appreciation of the work done by the teachers – improving the pass rate from 32% to 89% in 2013.
The first of the above activities will be presented as follows:
Date: Friday, 14 March 2014
Activity: Parents vs Teachers Soccer Match (both males and females) at 9h00.
Venue: Popano Secondary School, Botshabelo
Well done function at 13h00.
Date: Saturday, 15 March 2014
Activity: MEC will be joined by parents, teachers and learners in revamping the school’s wall, from 09h00.
Your media establishment is invited to cover these events.
Media enquiries:
Tankiso Zola, Manager: Communication
Cell: 082 940 2392
Tel: 051 4104742/4786/4719
E-mail: tankiso@sacr.fs.gov.za
General enquiries:
Konstable Selebedi, IT Office of the MEC
Cell: 072 951 1884
Tel: 051 410 4726
E-mail: kagisho@sacr.fs.gov.za
