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| The mayor of Ekurhuleni Mondli Gungubele with some of the bursary recepients. |
Once again we are gathered here today to celebrate the remarkable achievement of our pupils in Ekurhuleni. We do so gratified and extremely humbled with the knowledge that the best performing learner in Gauteng in last year’s metric examination is our own Reginald Champala from Daveyton.
This young man stole the limelight in all the subjects he wrote including Life Sciences, Physical Science, Geography and Maths. I have no doubt in my mind that Reginald will continue to make us proud as he pursues his studies at Wits where he is going to take up Bachelor of Mathemical Science. Well done young man.
Congratulations are also in order to all our top achievers and of course the thousands of our young people who sat for the matric examination last year.
One of the greatest highlights for the 2014 results is the fact that the highest number of best performers in Maths and Physical Sciences in Ekurhuleni come from previously disadvantaged communities.
The fact that our country continues to produce more and more university entrants from the previously disadvantaged areas is a clear indication that as this government we are on the right track in improving the quality of education in this country. Even more exciting about this year’s results is that even with the high number of service delivery protests in some areas which ultimately affected the culture of teaching and learning, the learners were able to pick up the pieces and make us proud.
Another plus obviously is the fact that Ekurhuleni North Region continues to be the best performing district in the city. This time around they went a step further and became the second best performing district in the country.
Having said that, I must sound warning bells to our heroes and heroines:
Institutions of higher learning require more hard work and dedication. You must realize that you need to continue taking education serious for the sake of a better future for yourselves and your loved ones. You must triple your efforts because the standard of education at institutions of higher learning is indeed higher and tougher.
Today affords us an opportunity to showcase to the rest of the world the fountains of talent within Ekurhuleni. The results that these youngsters have obtained are a vindication amongst their peers that hard work, determination and perseverance are virtues that could undoubtedly lead to success.
Perhaps these youngsters are still overwhelmed by messages of goodwill in recognition of the work they have delivered but let me once again take this opportunity to congratulate them on a job well done. As we make this proclamation, we are mindful of the sacrifices of your peers who in 1976 paid the ultimate price to ensure equal education for every South African child. The form of struggle may have changed now, but the struggle to attain a better life for all remains paramount.
In particular, the challenge today is to complement political freedom with economic freedom. And, to the extent possible, that economic freedom must be attained while many of the youth of today are still alive. As a nation, we owe that much to our youth.
The greatest tribute the youth of today could pay to the youth of past generations is to ensure that which they fought for was not in vain. Conversely, it would be the worst betrayal of those bygone generations of youth if today’s youth were to abandon the essence of that which previous generations fought and sacrificed for at the altar of convenience, greed and conspicuous consumption – quality education for all.
The education of our children can only prosper if all of us realize that it is not about the children themselves but society and the future of South Africa. With all stakeholders working together with government to improve the level of education in this country, the ultimate objective of a high standard of education for the country remains an achievable target.
In Ekurhuleni we are, through various initiatives playing our part to encourage literacy.
In this regard, I am pleased to announce today that through the bursary scheme this year, the City has allocated R5 million to assist 175 learners with bursaries so that they can pursue further studies at tertiary and vocational institutions of their choice. An additional R10 million has been set aside to assist another 289 local youth.
As we continue to upscale our intervention, we have resolved to give full bursaries to the best performing matriculants present here.
The City has further made a commitment to provide local graduates with an internship placement programme either with the City or some of our corporate partners. Just in the last financial year alone, we allocated R20.4 million towards internships, learnerships and experiential learning for the youth in Ekurhuleni. Almost 1500 youngsters benefited.
To complement this we are further investing in the setting up of 14 youth centres with the aim of supporting young people pursue business and skills development.
In an effort to keep educators and future matriculants motivated going forward, starting from this year the Municipality will be awarding each of the top three schools in the following categories: (i) Best Performing; (ii) Best Performing in Priority Areas; and(iii) Most Improved – a sum of R15 000 each for a school project of their choice
With these initiatives we are hoping to contribute to the national project of arming our youth with essential life skills. Our programmes will address Ekurhuleni’s post-matric qualifications which are shockingly low by any standards. Scientific research shows that 1,8% of residents of Ekurhuleni have attained a Bachelor’s degree and this cannot be tolerated and remains worrisome. That 28% of our youth remain unemployed is atrocious and so is the figure of 32% of young people within our municipal jurisdiction having a matric certificate as a higher qualification.
The City of Ekurhuleni’s bold plans in changing this status quo include a matrix of innovative projects that have the potential of propelling our economic status to be among the best in the world. Through various strategic conversations, a number of flagship projects have been identified. These flagship projects, which include the Aerotropolis, Digital City, Beautification of Lakes and Dams and IRPTN, seek to provide meaning to the city’s three pillars: Sustenance and improvement of service delivery;Transformation of society; and Preferred investment destination.
As I move towards closure, it would be grave mistake if one did not give motivation to those learners who did not succeed last year. Indeed there is a thin line between losing and winning. However, losing breeds winners. The main recipe to success is through failures and hardships. These youngsters must change their attitudes and aim for the skies once again.
They must remember that age is still on their side and therefore all they need to do is understand that achievements take time to come and that there is no overnight success. Also important is the fact that there is no need to be embarrassed by failure, but rather you must learn from it and start again.
In closing, I wish you well with your future studying and career prospects. I indeed do hope that you will all come back and play your part in the fight against poverty, unemployment and inequality in Ekurhuleni.
I wish to leave you with this following inspirational quote from the late Chief Albert Luthuli:“Girls and boys who learn to read, write and count will provide a better future for their families and countries. With improved education, so many other areas are positively affected. In short, education has the power to make the world a better place.”
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