Programme Director
MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture
The Local Mayor
The Top Management of Basil Read Group
Circuit Manager
School principals
School governing bodies
Our educators
Our learners,
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I wish to greet everyone and in the same breath take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for having been given this precious time to interact with you today. Let me also from the outset thank the BasiI Read Group for partnering with us in taking a positive step forward in the education of our children. Today, demonstrates that together with Basil Read, we view that the children of the Bahananwa Circuit deserve better. Their contribution in the Winter Enrichment program of our 212 learners from 13 schools says to us that they firmly believe that indeed education is a societal issue and quality education is the foundation for human capital development.
Let me acknowledge that quality remains a target that we should always work towards. I feel so encouraged that we have partners such as Basil Read who we can count on as we lead the revolution to deliver accessible and quality education in the province. Indeed together we can educate the nation.
I am also hopeful that with this kind of support in this circuit and other circuits where our social partners have landed a helping hand we can attain the 80% that our Premier, Stanley Chupu Mathabatha has directed us to achieve for the Grade 12 class of 2015. We can’t afford to regress and this kind of partnership is assuring enough that we are working towards settling for no less than 80% as per the Premier’s directive. This circuit achieved 71% last year and that pass rate must be a thing of a past come the announcements of the 2015 matric results. We must march towards the 80%.
Programme director, the Premier urges us to reach that rate because he understands that education is the only vehicle that this country will use for the attainment of employment, equality and finally get rid of poverty in our communities. It is also out of this understanding that the ruling party, the African National Congress, saw a need to place education amongst its top priorities. Not only has the government of the day prioritised education, but it continues together with our business communities to support all education processes through various means.
This means that in whatever we do, special emphasis must be made in partnership to empower the youth given our view that the youth is our future and investing in the youth is investing in the future of South Africa. We appreciate greatly this partnership and we intend to move in earnest and work hard with our social partners and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that ensure that we realise the 80% pass rate this year.
We acknowledge that the conditions and nature of school infrastructure have an impact on access and delivery of quality education. We need to work more with our partners to invest in the quality of infrastructure particularly classroom, water and sanitation facilities. When that is improved, enrolment and completion rates are also improved and there is less absenteeism. It is for this reason that we appeal to the private sector to partner with us so that we improve our facilities and build schools closer to communities.
Having said all that, let me turn my attention to our beloved learners who have made time to be part of this important program. I am so encouraged that our learners have chosen to participate in this enrichment classes. We applaud you for you could have easily decided to rest or visit friends and relatives during this school holiday but you chose to continue learning. Let me assure you standing right here that if you want to “live and eat like a king, you have to work like a slave”. Sooner or later your hard work will pay off and all the hardships will be forgotten.
What I am asking you is to be different. And being different means not being afraid to challenge the norm, being willing to take a chance, making your own track, not just following the well trodden path, chatting your own course and destiny. Having taken part in this program, you dared to be different. I want to say with all this support, from business, the department, dedicated teachers, and supportive parents, none of this support will matter unless all of you fulfil your responsibilities as learners. Unless you show up to those schools, like you have done in this program, unless you pay attention to those teachers, listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
Every single one of you has something you are good at and no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you will need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a lawyer, an architect. This is one important push and step for you to become anything you want to be. So you can’t drop out of school now and expect to just drop into a good job. You have to work for it and train for it and learn for it. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.
What you are learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You will need the knowledge and problem solving skills you learn in maths and science to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. Your 2014 circuit performance of 54% in maths and 67% in science will need to improve if we are to provide solutions in these important areas of our health. You will need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in social studies to fight poverty, crime and homelessness. You will need the creativity to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. So if you do not work hard and quit when the going gets tough, know that you are not just quitting on yourself, you are quitting on your family and country.
I know it is not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives that can make it hard to focus on your school work, but I am happy you have taken this opportunity. Circumstances in our lives differ but there is no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. There is no excuse for talking back to your teachers or cutting class or dropping out of school when you have this kind of support in this community. My beloved learners, there is no excuse for not trying. Please, note that where you are right now does not have to determine where you will end up. Write your own destiny and you have started by being part of this enrichment program. Remember that you make your own future.
No one is born good at things; you become good at things through hard work. You might have to work at a maths problem a few times before you get it right or read something a few times before you understand it or even do a few drafts of a paper before it is good enough to hand in.
Even when you are struggling, even when you are discouraged and you feel like other people have given up on you, do not give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you have given up on your country. Our struggle heroes and heroines never gave up. Nelson Mandela never gave up on us. He kept going, he tried harder. He loved this country and its people too much to do anything less than his best. Today Mandela teaches us that: “Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world”
We ask you today to have this weapon and change our country and ultimately the world. I ask of you, what will be your contribution be? Your families, your teachers, your business community and the department, are all doing everything for you to achieve. We are working hard to get all that you need to learn. If that is our part, we ask you to do your part too. Get serious and put your best effort in everything you do in the remaining time. We expect great things from each of you. So do not let us down, do not let your family or your country or yourself down because the pain will be too much to bear. We know you can do it. Make us all proud.
We thank the business community, in this case, Basil Read Group, for the unwavering support to this program and our learners. We request you to continue to rally side by side with us to deliver quality education to all our children. I wish to thank all the schools and teachers involved in the project and the hosting school for your commitment and dedication. We have difficult days ahead and we must not despair for our children need us more than ever.
I thank you very much.
