Principal of Unity, Mr Wandi Makhubu
Rector of St Dunstan’s, Mr Alan Thompson
Members of School Governing Bodies
Educators and Learners of St Dunstan’s and Unity
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me start first by thanking and congratulating the formidable and strong leadership of the two brilliant schools for the phenomenal and groundbreaking relationship you have created for Unity Secondary School and St Dunstan’s College.
The unity bringing us here today officially to kick-start the construction of the mutual partnership of St Dunstan’s and Unity is consistent with and gives concrete expression to the democratic values and ethos enshrined in our Constitution. The Constitution prepares the ground for the creation of a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society.
Indeed yours is a groundbreaking partnership transcending artificial boundaries of the old country.
It opens educational opportunities for learners in a terrain that was in the past reserved for the rich and famous, to the exclusion of the poorest of the poor.
At a time when racism seems to be rearing its ugly head again, you provided the glue of non-racialism and progress that must bond together the learners from Unity Secondary who come from the historically black township of Daveyton and the learners from St Dunstan’s College which is located in the best-elected and leafy Rynfield, in Benoni.
Cooperation in sports and cultural activities will enable learners from Unity and St Dunstan’s to grow and develop in an enabling environment that will teach them genuinely to “believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity”, as we say in the Preamble to the Constitution.
This partnership provides an excellent model for sharing resources between public schools and independent schools.
I’ve noted with interest that further to this timely relationship, Dr Steven Whitelaw of St Dunstan’s operates the St Dunstan’s Educational Support Centre in Benoni which provides practical support for new teachers by running courses for local teachers.
We have identified teacher development as one of our Big Ideas and priorities for 2011. It is one way of improving the quality of teaching and learning as envisaged in the education-sector-based Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025. We have a duty to improve or at least to maintain the 2010 Grade 12 pass rate.
Enhancing the skills of educators is a prerequisite for improving the quality of teaching and learning. Accordingly we welcome and applaud the work of Dr Whitelaw.
With these efforts, coupled with the Saturday School that gives expression to the academic component of the St Dunstan’s-and-Unity partnership, we will be able to deliver on the educational message given by the President in his State of the Nation Address for 2011. President Zuma has called for more emphasis on “Triple Ts – “teachers, text and time”.
A well trained and developed teacher will understand better why he must be in class, on time, teaching, seven hours a day, and be able to make good use of texts. We value this vital private-public school partnership and agree with Rector Thompson that it has to generate enough interest to grow the concept throughout the independent schools’ sector.
This being the month in which we celebrate International Women’s Day, I have a clear message for educators in Benoni:
Do everything in your power to uplift every girl child in your school. Use this partnership to affirm every girl learner, be it in sports, in arts and culture or in classroom activities.
Only this way can our children live in peace and harmony, in the comfort of a non-sexist and human rights-based society.
What you have done for the children and community of Benoni goes a long way in helping us achieve the cost-effective use of education resources and sustainable implementation of education services as envisaged in Section 4(n) of the National Education Policy Act of 1996.
Once more, congratulations for taking this progressive and patriotic step. I have no doubt that the Unity-and-St Dunstan’s partnership is ‘what it says on the tin’.
Mr Makhubu has been a most reliable and great leader and strategic manager since the formation of his school under very difficult conditions. He weathered the storms ‘platooning’ at Davey High School, in this township.
Mr Makhubu has led brilliantly a school that was established and registered forcefully by community leaders to extend the right to education even to the young who would not get enrolment at other schools in Daveyton, including activists and children returning from exile.
I am not simply showering Wandi with accolades because his school was opened in honour of ANC leader and stalwart, Cde Oliver Tambo.
Unity has consistently achieved high academic results over the years. In 2010, it improved from a pass rate of 58.5% obtained in 2009, to 87.1%. 17 year old Xolani from this school obtained distinctions in Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Sesotho, Life Orientation and Geography.
Xolani had this to say about his principal, further providing reason for the impressive improvement in last year’s results: “During the teachers’ strike, he helped us go through all the previous year’s exam papers.”
St Dunstan’s has historically done Benoni and the rest of us proud by obtaining 100% pass rate for 13 successive years. Nicholas Osner achieved 7 distinctions, with Mathematics results in the top 1% of candidates.
Accordingly, I am proud to witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. Unity now has no reason not to strive for a 100% pass rate. Working together we can do more to achieve quality basic education.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Basic Education
