Message of encouragement to the matric class of 2013 by the Premier of Limpopo Honourable Chupu Mathabatha on the occasion of the provincial announcement of Grade 12 results held at the Ranch Hotel, Polokwane
Programme director,
MEC Dikeledi Magadzi and other Members of the Provincial Executive Council,
Honourable members of the provincial legislature,
Executive Mayors and Mayors of our district and local municipalities,
The leadership of the African National Congress and the alliance, Leadership of various political parties,
Our traditional leadership, The religious leadership, The business community,
Vice Chancellors and Principals of our Universities The Acting Director General, Dr Pheme
The Acting HOD for the department of Education, Ms Onica Dederen
School Principals
Leadership of the School governing bodies Leadership of the teachers’ Unions
Leadership of leaner and students’ organisations Our friends in the media and the people of Limpopo
It is a great honour and pleasure to join the MEC of Education Mme Dikeledi Magadzi and the rest of Limpopo community in extending a word of encouragement to our Matric class of 2013. We are here in this glittering ceremony to recognise hard-work and celebrate excellence.
At this moment of celebration, I would like to express my earnest gratitude to everyone whose dedication and efforts have brought us here today. In particular, I would like to thank MEC Dikeledi Magadzi and the rest of her team for their visible efforts of turning our Department of Education around within such a short space of time.
Your leadership has ensured a timely delivery of textbooks to our schools. This has closed an unfortunate chapter that resulted in the government being dragged to court for us to do what is inherently our job.
I would also like to extend my appreciations to the teachers whose hard work and commitment has delivered these results we are celebrating today. Teachers remain our reliable Sheppards without whom our kids would be lost into the wilderness of illiteracy and failure. We thank you and your Teachers organisations for a job well done.
My appreciations also go to our School Governing Bodies (SGB) for their constructive and much needed role in the governance of our schools. I am confident that the department will continue to provide support to our SGB’s to be able to perform their functions properly.
In the same spirit I want to challenge our SGB’s to jealously guard against attempts to reduce our schools to some bargaining chips during community protests. SGB’s should be the first to say to members of the community that ‘no grievance, however legitimate it may be worth disrupting the learning and teaching of our children’.
I want to also extend my gratitude to our forever hardworking parents. We are aware of the fact that at times it took a lot of sacrifice to see your children through this demanding journey.
Programme Director, I gives me bondless joy and excitement to extend my words of appreciations to the Matric class of 2013. I call you the class of stars.
Although we have not reached the target of 75% Limpopo has for the first time in the 20 years of freedom and democracy recorded no less than 70% Matric pass rate.
MEC Magadzi and the rest education stakeholders present, I am therefore of the view that we can set ourselves a target of 80% in 2014. I have got no doubt whatsoever in my mind that united in action we can achieve this target.
Programme Director,
As we busk in the glory of our children who have made it today, we must remember those who did not pass. They too are still our children and we love them in an equal measure as we love those whose achievement is celebrated today.
As a parent I want to speak to those who did not pass and say; this is not the end of your world, you have not lost any value as a human being, there is still much you can do for your own development and for the development of your own country. Instead of hanging your head in self-pity, I challenge you to stand up, dust yourself and start running again.
Programme Director,
We are well aware that these results have been delivered at times under very unfriendly conditions. These conditions include at times; the absence of adequate classrooms, lack of ablution facilities at our schools, lack of drinking water and at times lack of electricity. This government will relentlessly pursue and channel more energy and resources towards the School Infrastructure Development Projects and improvement of quality of education.
I would like to take this opportunity once again to assure you that the government will do whatever it can in order to deliver on the promise of quality public education for all.
In closing, I would like to say that I am confident that through collective efforts and renewed commitment, we will be able to achieve more and to be able to place our province on an uninterrupted increase in our Matric result. This is indeed just the beginning. Former President Nelson Mandela sums it all when he says: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".
It is therefore appropriate to say, lets go out there and change the world for the better.
Pula!
