Bokone Bophirima shines at the Water and Sanitation Youth Summit
Ennis Thabong Primary School from Hartbeespoort Dam grabbed first position worth R35 000 in the Eco-Schools Category during this year’s Water and Sanitation Youth Summit which was held from 29 June 2015 to 2 July 2015, in Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg.
Bokone Bophirima (North West Province) came armed with Asnath Kaungasunge and Lebogang Thameng who performed exceptionally well and beat other learners during the Mini-Sass (mini stream assessment system). They monitored the health of a river by collecting samples of macro invertebrates (small animals) and depending on what they found from the water that measured the general river health and water quality in the river.
The competition was held during one of the Summit’s excursions to Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve. It was one of the intensive programmes in the weeklong Water and Sanitation Youth Summit.
The Summit which is celebrated in Youth month, in respect to youth of 1976, aims to impart knowledge to the youth that water is a limited resource which must be used efficiently, protected and conserved, and that this knowledge that can be transferred to parents and communities also addresses shortage of scarce skills such as engineering in the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The weeklong programme included Baswa le Meetse (BLM) and Public Speaking national adjudication, lectures, motivation sessions, educational excursions to Rand Water, SANBI (Pretoria Botanical garden field trip), MiniSASS (Field trip to Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve), Eco Schools Teacher Development training, exhibitions and career expo by different stakeholders for 400 Ekurhuleni school learners, Out of School Youth and Young professionals and an Award Ceremony. More than 1000 learners participated in the Summit.
During the award ceremony which is held on the last day, the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Pam Tshwete accompanied by Gauteng MEC for Education, Mr Panyaza Lesufi awarded all participants with trophies, certificates and cash prizes. In her speech, the Deputy Minister acknowledged the department’s role in putting the 2020 Vision Programme on the world map as it was awarded the UN Water for Life Award in the category “best participatory, communication awareness raising and education practices.
She also highlighted the supporters’ role in the success of the Summit and thanked all learners and educators and requested them to continue with their contribution in saving water. “Conserving water and saving the little that we have, this was the message which was spread throughout the week and therefore learners must take the message home and to their schools because they are now the department’s ambassadors” she said.
All programmes that took place in the Summit are under the DWS’ educational Programme called 2020 Vision for Water and Sanitation Education (2020 VfWSEP) Programmes and all of them except Baswa le Meetse and Out of School youth, target high school grade 10 and 11 learners. Already those learners who qualified to attend the Water and Sanitation Youth Summit had already won themselves prize money and the bursary from the Department of Water and Sanitation during their Provincial competitions. They utilise these bursaries when they are at tertiary level studying water related studies. Despite all learners not obtaining top three national positions, they are all winners as they have qualified for bursaries.
From Bokone Bophirima, school learners who participated in the Summit included Ms Noxolo Tikane (Batswana High School) and Ms Santina Iya (Sol Plaatjie High School) who represented Aqua Enduro programme, Tshepo Gaanakgomo (Tigerkloof Combined School) represented Public speaking, Keotshepile Freddie and Tiisetso Makinta (Tsogo Secondary School) represented South African Youth Water Prize.
Baswa le Meetse schools from Bokone Bophirima included Tshabelang Primary School from Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, Buffelsvlei Primary School from Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, Kutlwano Primary School Bojanala Platinum, Ntsweletsoku Primary School from Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality and Seetsele Primary School from Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.
The Summit which is in partnership with different stakeholders like WRC, MTN Foundation, Monash SA University, WESSA, Department of Education, Sedibeng Water, City of Ekurhuleni, Department of Arts and Culture, Amatola Water, TCTA, SANBI and Rand Water hosted more than 1000 delegates from different provinces.
This year’s Summit ended with five MTN Media classrooms being awarded to the five top positions of different Baswa le Meetse categories of drama, music, praise poetry, poster and poetry. The Media classrooms comprise of touch screen web stations, data projectors and internet services subsidised by MTN for their school, trophy and certificate sponsored by MTN, fax machine, 10-20 computers and 3-in-1 printer, 53 bursaries being awarded to learners from the Department of Water and Sanitation, bursaries being offered to two learners by Monash SA University and R80 000 prize money awarded to Eco Schools sponsored by Water Research Commission.
For more information contact:
Sputnik Ratau
Cell: 0828742942
