A Motshekga: Official opening of Cosmo City Secondary School

26 April 2007

Programme Director
Honourable members of parliament and Gauteng Legislature
Councillor Maureen Scheemann
MEC of Health, Mr Brian Hlongwa
The Head of Department
Management from Head office and districts
Educators, Learners and Parents
Business Partners
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Apologies for the Premier, who could not come, he is out of the country on
business.

Today we have woken up to a morning that has shaped the new approach to
development of infrastructure in our province. My warmest greetings to you all
as you bear witness to the realization of our province's first handover of
Cosmo City schools to its community. These two primary schools and a secondary
school have already opened the doors of learning to our children.

The opening of these three schools are part of the more than 50 schools we
will be opening between 2007 and 2008, costing the state in excess of R1
billion representing the biggest/largest stock delivery of schools. We have
committed ourselves as government to make education more accessible to all
citizens of our province. In our last elections we promised South African
people that during this term of office, amongst others, we will do all it takes
to fight poverty unemployment with target set at halving poverty by 2014. Again
this is indeed a humble contribution towards bringing a better life for all our
people. We have also committed ourselves as the Gauteng Provincial Government
to the following priorities:
* enabling faster economic growth
* building safe and responsible communities
* ensuring productive, healthy and skilled citizenship
* ensuring a caring and democratic governance
* halving poverty and unemployment

Today the handover of Cosmo City affirms that commitment. Learners from
Zevenfontein who used to travel long distances have been saved the burden of
doing so, as they enjoy the benefit of seeing this integrated provincial
flagship project succeed. This is a legacy that all of us must guard jealously,
so that many children in our province can access quality education that will
grow our economy. During the design and construction of the three schools the
community has actively participated and ensured the quality of this
development. They are a community asset that I hope you will always protect.
Therefore the safekeeping of these three schools is in your hands.

I am not talking about the physical buildings only but also the conduct of
learners and educators. Our province is facing an influx of learners, so every
school being built goes toward reducing overcrowding of learners. I urge you to
treasure these schools. We have committed ourselves as the Gauteng Department
of Education to following priorities:
* provision of quality education
* facilitation of learning through the use of ICIS (e-learning)
* creating and enabling environment for leaning by providing basic
resources
* providing the schooling and the work by young ones through experiential
learning.

During my visits to various schools in the province, the maintenance of our
schools is a matter of serious concern. Your schools have been fitted with
facilities that create a conducive environment for learning. You have a
computer laboratory, food technology and textile centre, a library that
encompasses a media centre as well as other special features which are fitted
for your benefit. This is meant to enable us to reach our key strategy
objective of the Province and those of the department. Our vision in Gauteng
Province is to produce high quality education. Learners in Cosmo City, with the
facilities fitted in your schools and the support of your educators, you have
no choice but to excel in your studies. When we congratulate learners that have
burnt the midnight oil and have performed well at the end of the year, we
expect you to be amongst the best in our province. So I wish you well and know
that you will produce quality results for our province.

The safety of our schools and healthy life style remain our top priority,
the construction of these three schools has provided additional safety measures
in the form of palisade fence to deter trespassers from accessing school
premises. Another added feature is the safe drop-off for learners who are
transported to school as well as the speed humps for those people who still
find it difficult to observe the speed limit, especially next to schools. Our
educators have continued to observe our policy of ensuring that school gates
are locked during school hours. We are appealing to the community of Cosmo to
support our schools in adhering to these safety procedures.

Programme Director, I leave these three schools in the hands of the Cosmo
City community. Together learners and educators under our department's district
leadership will produce our country's next generation of captains of industry.
Because they are your schools now we have not given them any name, we expect
you to start a democratic process towards naming them, not only naming them
again protecting and taking care of them. Now that we have celebrated, Mr
Malele and his team will be coming with his whole school evaluation programme.
I am told just everything and everybody goes in for evaluation. I expected that
at the end of the year when he gives me the results Cosmos Schools will be
there

I now invite you to unveil the plaque that will commemorate this auspicious
moment.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Education, Gauteng Provincial Government
26 April 2007
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.education.gpg.gov.za/)