MEC Phosa Appeals to Students to Take Education Seriously

MEC for Economi c Deve lopment , Environment and Tourism, Mrs. Pinky Phosa has urged matric students in the Pixley Ka Isaka Seme local municipality to improve last year matric results from 77 .46% to 100 % pass rate in this academic year.

Addressing the learners, educators, school governing bodies and officials from other government departments and the private sector during the career exhibitions hosted by the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, the local municipality, the constituency office and other government departments and parastatals, the MEC indicated that government and the private sector have forged a partnership that will see education becoming everyone's business.

''As government we have forged strategic partnerships with the private sector with one of the focus area being Human Capital Development. High on the agenda is the issue of skills development through investments in a form of bursaries towards mathematics, science and technology which we believe will address critical skills shortage in the country and province,” said Mrs Phosa.

The aim of the event which was attended by 1130 learners from all fifteen high schools within the Wakkerstroom and Volksrust circuits of education, was to expose them to a variety of careers available in the mainstream and other economies as they prepare to exit the schooling system. This initiative forms part of the legacy projects initiated by the MEC and the Department as another way of contributing towards social development and cohesion.

Companies and entities such as the South African Breweries, Eskom, Glencore (formally known as Xstrata Coal), Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, the National Institute of Higher Education, the Mondi Science Centre, South African Defence Force, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Gert Sibande FET College, Vodacom, Datacentric, Brent Oil and many other organizations participated in this event.

They made presentations on the type of skills required in their organizations and pledged to work together to ensure that we create more job opportunities to absorb those learners, once they completed their tertiary education. Speaking during the handing over ceremony of about fifteen computer laptops, scanners and 3G internet connectivity modems to the best performing learners, the MEC urged them to seize these rare opportunities and appealed to parents to ensure that no circumstances must be allowed to deprive children of their future.

Mrs Phosa's sentiments were echoed by the Executive Mayor, Councilor P.V Malatji who said government has prioritized education as the single most powerful weapon to defeat poverty, unemployment and inequality in this country and as a result, his municipality will support any educational initiative which is aimed at improving the lives of people.

“I am appealing to members of the school governing bodies, educators, and learners to heed the call of government to take education seriously, and this will assist the country and the province as we implement our nationbuilding programmes”, concluded the Mayor.