MEC tells matrics to already start preparing for year-end exams
MEC visited the schools in Mamelodi to motivate grade 12 learners and inspect infrastructure.
Gauteng roads and transport MEC Ishamael Vadi encouraged Mamelodi matrics to start already preparing for their year-end exam.
Vadi was visiting local secondary schools during the government’s Back to School campaign.
His first stop was Rephafogile Secondary School in Lusaka, east of Mamelodi.
He was accompanied by local councillors and social development, which donated school uniforms to the learners.
Vadi also pleaded with the local councillors and education department officials to work together to get better results this year.
He was unhappy that the school’s class of 2017 pass rate had dropped to 48 percent, for which he said everyone must share the blame.
He told both the learners and teachers to pledge to work harder this year.
Vadi said to solve the problem, hard work should start at a lower level.
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“The key to academic success is discipline and hard work,” he said.
Principal Willeminah Mahlangu said the pass rate had dropped from 76% to 48% between 2015 and 2017.
She said the school has a high rate of learner and teacher absenteeism, especially in winter because learners walked more than 10km to school.
“Other problems we need to solve is the lack of parent participation in school activities like parents’ meetings and burglaries at the school.”
She said the far east of Mamelodi desperately needed another secondary school so learners did not have to walk such long distances to school.
She pleaded for Vadi’s support for the second-school request.
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Local councillor Collen Marishane said he was disappointed members of the school governing body did not attend the event.
“This was their chance to tell the government what support their needed to govern the school efficiently,” he said.
Vadi promised to return to check on the progress the school was making.
Other schools the MEC visited were: Lehlabile Secondary School in Mamelodi East Extension 4; Gatang Secondary School in Mamelodi East Vista View; Japhtha Mahlangu Secondary School in Mamelodi West Section D4; and Nellmapius Primary School Extension 1.
It is government policy that elected officials visit schools at the start of the academic year to inspect infrastructure and report problems to relevant authorities for a speedy resolution.
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