Programme Director and Principal of Imemeza Secondary School;
Mr SE Thwala
Head of Department; Mrs Mahlasedi Mhlabane
District Director; Mr JJ Mabena
Circuit Manager; Ms SN Motloung
Members of the School Governing Body
Our Brother Donny
Representatives from the media
Representative Council of Learners
Educators
Non Teaching Staff
Learners
Sanibonani
Let me take this time to welcome you to the second quarter of the 2011 school year.
I am in the company of the media; Ligwalagwala FM; our brother Donny; the District Director, Mr JJ Mabena and other senior officials from both Head Office and the District .
We came to say government cares for you and for your future. We wish that the best should happen in your lives.
We are convinced that indeed best things can came your way only if you embrace education and work hard to be educated.
The song by ubhuti Donny, Basheshe Bahleka means that there is no condition in life that is permanent. The only thing that is permanent in life is change. It also means that tough times never last but tough people do. Listen to it and thereafter change the way you look at life and strive to be a better person. Government has put Education top on the list of its priorities because it is the only key to a better life for all.
Education remains a fundamental pillar towards total emancipation of our communities from the doldrums of poverty, helplessness to prosperity.
There is no country or nation that can prosper if its people are uneducated. We deliberately chose to join you today so that we can motivate you to embrace education and work hard to free your selves from the bondages of ignorance and fear.
The condition you today find your selves in can change for the better only if you are educated.
There are simple or basic things you must do in order to be educated.
- You must love and appreciate that you have a right to be here;
- Respect yourselves, your parents and your teachers all the time;
- Know that the reasons for you to be at school is to empower yourselves academically and socially and
- Read your books and practice Mathematics everyday.
All these do not need any cent; they can be done by the poor and the rich.
These days you do not need to have money or parents to acquire quality education. In fact those who are poor stand to benefit more from our education programmes.
The department has increased the number of No Fee Schools from 1 416 to 1600 an effort to ensure that Education is accessible to all.
Learners who are orphans and those whose parents rely on social grants for survival are by law not supposed to pay school Fees.
70 000 learners are currently ferried from their homesteads to schools throughout the province to ensure that they realise their dreams.
836 000 learners are benefiting from the national schools nutrition programme to ensure that they maximally participate and benefit from everyday schooling activities.
Programme Director, on 6 January 2011, I announced the 2010 Grade 12 results and at that occasion, I requested all stakeholders to rally side by side with us until we have a situation where every learner who enters the system makes the grade.
I said; while we are encouraged by the 8.9 % improvement we should not rest until all our learners in all grades are able to excel in their academic performance.
Last week the department convened the Provincial Education Indaba with its stakeholders. This indaba intended to benefit you by ensuring that at the end of the day education delivery and learner performance improves in the Province.
This is the commitment we are making and would expect that you remain receptive to these noble efforts by studying very hard to achieve good results.
Today we are in this school, Imemeza Secondary School; your counterparts in 2009 obtained 77% pass rate in Grade 12. In 2010, they obtained 96.77%. Please give them a big round of applause.
We are here to demand 100% with convincing distinctions and I know that this is not an unreasonable demand because this school has the potential to excel.
In turn, the department will give bursaries to all learners who have passed with six distinctions and having been admitted in institutions of higher learning.
In addition, should your school outshine the rest of the schools in quintal one or two; I will give it the rights to host the Awards Ceremony next year. This is a promise I will keep.
All you have to do is to listen to your teachers and parents, work hard starting from today and avoid negative tendencies that are likely to take you backwards such as spending a lot of time on social networks Mix it, drugs, sexual activities, TV soapies, and so on.
Focus on your studies and request help when there is a need. We are all here for your best interest and you must overcome any condition or situation that confronts you and excel in your studies. No condition or situation must deprive you of your right to education and you must remain responsible for your own success.
Promise us that you will do better this year and in turn government will give you the necessary support. Remain enthusiastic with your studies and burn the midnight oil and you will be rewarded immensely.
Marko Saravanja the author of Secrets of Success says the following about Enthusiasm.
“All great success in human civilisation has been driven by enthusiasm- the positive energy required to execute ideas and make things happen.
Enthusiasm involves strength of spirit and active commitment. It is the magic that differentiates excellence from mediocrity. It is the greatest asset that individuals and organisations can possess, because with enthusiasm you can succeed at anything”
There are no shortcuts –you have to earn your success, work hard side by side with your teachers and the rest will follow.
Let you names be counted amongst those who will be called next January for having excelled in their academic performance.
Let me take this time and extend our profound appreciation to the school management team and to your Circuit Manager Ms SN Motloung for making this school what it is. Continue to do the good job and let all learners achieve the quality pass in all grades.
Our target is that we must at least improve by 10% this year and we also want to strive to be above the National aggregate.
Convey our appreciation the School Governing Body and to all parents and indicate to them that I was here and have requested that they attend meetings and contribute towards the success of this school.
Thank you once more to all of you, I wish you the best in all your endeavours.
Ngiyabonga!
