Mpumalanga Department of Education announces and rewards the cleanest school
The Department of Education said it plans to host another awards event next year and hopes that it will have more schools to choose from during the final stages of the competition.
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Tfolinhlanhla Primary School in Shabalala outside Hazyview is the winner of the 2022 Cleanest School Award in the province.
This award was presented to the school by the MEC for education, Bonakele Majuba, in the Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, on Friday.
This award ceremony is a pinnacle of the Rhandza XiKolo Xa Wena Campaign, which was launched in all four districts of the province. For having won this award, this school in the Ehlanzeni District will receive R50 000 from Sasol, R10 000 from Old Mutual, R10 000, a UPS for Wi-Fi and accessories from Telkom, and R100 000, a microwave oven and a South African flag from the department. Fundi contributed R7 000 towards the success of the event.
No money will be directly deposited into the school account. The school will be expected to identify projects towards the improvement of their surroundings and the above institutions will effect payment.
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During the event, Majuba said keeping a clean environment as a school will therefore reduce the incidence of diseases among learners, which reduces absenteeism and leads to better learner performance.
“The department is proud to acknowledge and honour the first school to win this prestigious award. We are extremely excited to launch the inaugural provincial Cleanest School Awards. Keeping our school environment clean has always been at the heart of the department and has been one of our apex priorities.
“It has always been our humble plea that communities must safeguard schools and rekindle a sense of ownership and pride, as schools belong to communities and should be treated as their own possessions.”
Majuba said schools are centres of excellence, growth and development, and as such, their ambience and outlook must always be spotless and inviting.
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“These very sentiments are what gave birth to the Rhandza Xikolo Xa Wena Campaign, which simply means ‘Love your school’ in XiTsonga. This campaign aims at mobilising communities to volunteer their time and skills to make schools better places for teaching and learning to thrive at all times.”
According to Majuba, through this award, they aim to have communities celebrating the positive aspects this campaign brings along with them.