Programme Director; Mrs Mahlasedi Mhlabane
Members of the Executive Council
Executive Mayor of Ehlanzeni District Municipality; Cllr Khosi Mkhonto
Executive Mayor of Nkomazi Municipality; Cllr Mavuso
Members of the Portfolio Committee
Member of Senior Management
Hosting Principal, Mrs NP Ntandane
Circuit Managers
Political Structures
Top Ten Learners
Top Learners in Subjects
Parents
Media
Officials of the department
CTU - South African Democratic Teachers Union
CTU - Independent Unions
National Education Health and Allied Workers Union
Members of the Examination Board (Nominees)
Representatives from the Mpumalanga Education Development Trust
Association of School Governing Bodies
Representatives of the Moral Regeneration Movement
Learner Formations
Principals
Comrades and friends
Ladies and gentlemen
Sanibonani, dumelang; goie more; good morning
I take this opportunity to appreciate your presence in this occasion. This is an event that comes once in the calendar of activities of the department and I wish that going forward schools would bid to host it.
Their bidding would be different from the normal bidding processes in that the only thing a school in quintal one or two would do, is to encourage their learners to pass qualitatively to get the rights to host this glittering event.
Today, we are at Sikhwahlane Secondary School because following the 2010 Grade 12 results Sikhwahlane is the most improved quintal one school in the country. The school moved from 71.1 % obtained in 2009 to 97, 7 % in the 2010 Grade 12 results.
It is therefore befitting for us to gather here in this fashion with the best of the best in the province.
You already know that Mpumalanga province is one of the fourth most improved provinces with regards to the Grade 12 results. It is one of the few provinces where there is no school which obtained 0%.
In this province we have been able to reduce the number of underperforming schools (below 20%) from 66 to 17.
At the end the province obtained 56.8% compared to 47.9% in 2009.
Today we are here to celebrate this achievement and to further pledge for more improvement on scholastic outcomes.
Once more, our gratitude goes to all individuals and organisations who made this possible, our beloved educators, parents, learners and stakeholders alike, without you this would have been a mission impossible.
Let us continue to rally side by side and make Mpumalanga a shining province. We must all make a commitment to improve the results by 10% this year and make an effort to achieve it.
The 2010 results must motivate us to want to do more and working together we can achieve this objective (i.e. improving the results by 10% in all grades)
The learners and schools that we will be awarding honour this morning have really burned the midnight oil, sacrificed negative habits, tendencies and life styles that that may compromise time dedicated to study. Some have even sacrificed social networks such as Mix it, TV Soapies, drugs, you name them.
They focused and worked hard to be where they are today. They knew that good things do not come to those who are lazy, unfocused and irresponsible. Let’s look at them as our role models and emulate them as well.
The awards that we are honouring them with were made possible by the contributions of ABSA, Bhp Billiton, SASOL, the Robert Gumede Family Keni Foundation-Scholarship Programme and Hima Copy Sentrum/Laptitude.
Bhp Billiton has donated ten laptops with printers and bags for the top ten learners worth R104 721 54. Mr Christian Peter, Manager Community Affairs is in our midst to ensure that these are handed over to the rightful owners.
SASOL pledged to donate Seven Thousand Rands to each learner who passed Mathematics and Physical Science outstandingly. There are five learners who obtained 100% in Mathematics and Five who obtained 100 % in Physical Science in the province. All these learners are here and would share a donation totalling R70 000 from SASOL.
One of these learners has obtained 100% in both subjects and this means he takes home R14 000 and a computer and a laptop made possible by Hima Copy Sentrum/Laptitude.
In addition, to the computer and laptop that Hima Copy Sentrum /Laptitute donated to our top learners in Mathematics and Physical Science, they have sponsored 10 Laptops to be given to all the learners who passed mathematics and Physical Science. Mr Hareendedra Nath we are grateful for this benevolence.
Robert Gumede Family Foundation- Scholarship Programme pledged to give 20 learners full scholarships, of these two will be from Umjindi Municipality eight from Nkomazi Municipality and ten from Mbombela Municipality. I have made a special plea to this institution that in the future they should consider learners from Bohlabela as well.
The provincial government will assist all learners who obtained six or more distinctions who have been admitted in Institutions of Higher Learning. We have invited these to apply by calling our toll free line 0800 203 116. The closing date is today.
Once more, I urge all business institutions to invest in the future of our children and at the same time, contact the department in the event that they contribute so that we can acknowledge their contributions.
I take this time to formally acknowledge all these donations and further extend my profound appreciation for this patriotic gesture. Thank you very much for your compassion.
To the School Governing Body of Sikhwahlane Secondary School, I want to make this promise. If all your learners can pass this year, the Award Ceremony will still be hosted by your school next year. It all depends on the outcome of results. Thank very much for hosting this occasion in this fashion. May your school continue to do good and make us proud. I was here when you hosted the Deputy President and this means that better things are still to come for the people of Ntunda and Sikhwahlane Secondary School.
Programme director; Let me thank all of you for gracing this occasion.
Thank you.
