MEC Majuba salutes 21 acts of goodness to enable matric class at Izimbali boaring school

“Old Mutual Foundation again choose Mpumalanga Province –the Place of the Rising Sun to host this progressive programme. Through the 21 Acts of Goodness Programme we are enabled to focus on providing some selfless service that are anchored on Ubuntu and the will to change the lives of others for the better.

A number of spekers who spoke before me emphasise the fact that we intend to travel the jouney with our learners to make it easy for them to make future career choices as well as to enhance their study prospects.

Our collaboration of purpose with our partmners led by Old Mutual Foundation helps to pioneer an agenda in order to enforce a social and a developmental contract with our learners as they prepare for life outside our schooling system.

We therefore urge to our learners to take benefit of this opportunity to engage with everyone here to free their potential.

The fact is education is pivotal to economic prosperity, enabling individual South Africans to realise their dreams of a better life.

We are also highly convinced that education is the only equaliser that enables people to break the cycle of poverty & ignorance that characterises some of poor communities.

Education is a great agent of change that can transform a village into a city of time, shaping and changing the lives of the inhabitants for the better.

Program Director and Ms Kuhlase, the boarding school set up was conceptualised to guarantee the delivery of quality education to learnes who in farms and un-viable schools.

These boarding schools were established to ensure that learners are able to reach Grade 12, make the grade, go to any university to further their studies, graduate and return home to empower their families and communities.

It is for this reason that we always lament learner performance that is below expectations from these boarding schools. We expect learners in these boarding to perform above the rest and to succeed at all cost.

It is for this reason that I am grateful for this year Old Mutual Foundation decided to focus this program (the 21 Acts of Goodness) in all our boarding schools.

We are thus here in Amsterdam, a rural town to ensure you that everything is possible through education. We are here because we love you and we hope that our presence today will inspire you to your greatness.

As recorded, Izimbali Boarding School in the year 2019 registered a pass rate of 97.3%.

In 2020, this school registered 92.6%.

In 2021, the school’s pass rate was 82.1%

Our wish is that going forward all learners in these boarding schools must make the grade, meaning that we expect nothing less than 100%.

So as much as we seek to enhance the pass percentage for the whole school, let us also heed the call to pass with colourful grades and distinctions as it is possible and it is all within our reach.

As a Department with our partners here, we are all in one accord as we agree that education also has to reach beyond economic goals, enabling South Africans in a bid to improve the quality of their lives and contribute to a peaceful, caring & democratic society.

My dear learners, I want to encourage you to study very hard, and bring your challenges to class for your teachers to assist. Be always disciplined and focused on your school work. Refrain from negative tendencies like: drugs, alcohol and other activities that will divert your attention from your studies.

I also want to remind you that the only thing best for you is to work hard for your few years at school or tertiary institution and reap the rewards forthe rest of your lives than idling and loafing around for the few years and suffer for the rest of your lives.

I implore you to please take advantage of television programmes such as learning channel as well as Departmental programmes that are designed to assist you with your learning.

Please remember that you all have the promise of tomorrow, and time does not wait for anyone.

We are all given the same quantity of time to live in a day but what matters is how we utilise our time at a given point. Are we going to use it to build ourselves up or are we going to use it to destroy ourselves and our future?

1 of 7

My advice to you is that you need to make a wise choice and choose your books and school for now then your future will be counted bright.

President Nelson Mandela in telling the importance of education says, “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”.

Education remains a fundamental pillar towards the total emancipation of our communities from the doldrums of poverty and helplessness to prosperity.

There is no country that can prosper if its people remain uneducated and hence we deliberately chose to join you today so that we can motivate you to embrace education and work hard to free yourselves from the bondages of ignorance, fear and marginalisation.

Even as we assist you to transition the secondary education phase into tertiary, please stay focused on your studies and do you parents and yourself proud by passing your grade 12 in flying colours.

The mere fact that you have reached your grade 12 is evident that you can make it through to institutions of higher learning.

I request to use this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation to Old Mutual Foundation and to all the enablers for this program. Please continue to shine the light in every corner of our province.

This country needs visionaries like your good selves.
We remain indebted to you and we thank you very much for your patriotic generosity.

The Mpumalanga Province is your second home. You don’t need an invitation to be in our education space, said, Siyabonga kakhulu.