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2 July, 2015 |
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Minister Schäfer visits Grade 12 winter school and WCED Safe Schools Holiday Programme. Statement by Minister Debbie Schäfer, Minister of Education The start of the winter school holidays last week brings a much needed break for learners and educators across the province but many of our schools are still hives of activity. Various holiday programmes are currently on the go which includes various academic programmes as well as fun sports, cultural and learning activities. In order to assist learners in preparation for the National Senior Certificate (NSC), the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has organised a Grade 12 Winter School programme at 172 schools across the province. The Winter schools include tutoring programmes and targeted and sustained interventions at schools where learners are struggling in specific high enrolment subjects. These subjects include Mathematics, Physical Science, Geography, Life Sciences, Accounting and Economics. Today I visited the Grade 12 Winter School programme at Excelsior Secondary School in Belhar. I was impressed to see over 500 children attending classes in Mathematics, Economics, English, History, Geography and Business Studies. The learners attending the classes come from various schools in the area including:
I am extremely encouraged to see the commitment of so many learners to improve their results. This morning I had the opportunity to speak to the Principal of Excelsior Secondary Schoool, who is hosting the Winter school. In the 2014 NSC examinations Excelsior High School achieved an 89.9% pass rate with 40.8% of the matrics achieving a bachelor's pass. This year, 203 candidates will be writing the NSC from Excelsior secondary School. The principal, Mr Vraagom, says that he is proud of his Class of 2015 and hopes that the school will achieve a pass rate of 92% in the 2015 NSC. To improve the schools results in the upcoming NSC, Mr Vraagom has:
I am so impressed by Mr Vraagom's dedication and commitment to his Grade 12 learners and to the school as a whole. It is true that great schools do not exist without great leaders. This is why Mr Vraagom is the first and only Western Cape Educator to win the Excellence in Secondary School Leadership award at the 2003 National Teaching Awards. In addition to the Winter schools, the WCED has also been offering other fun and educational activities for learners. One of our biggest challenges during the school holiday period is that children are left unsupervised. Young people often make unhealthy and risky lifestyle choices because they have limited access to recreational opportunities. This is particularly the case in high crime and gang activity areas. The WCED Safe Schools Directorate has therefore organised various holiday programmes for learners in all eight education districts which were launched on Monday 29th June 2015. Today I also visited one of these programmes at Edward Primary School in Elsies River where around 150 learners from 4 schools within the area are attending a comprehensive programme aimed at tackling the challenges that our young learners face on a daily basis. The programme covers substance abuse, gangsterism, gender discrimination, conflict resolution, sexual abuse, HIV/ Aids, teenage pregnancy, life skills and self-esteem building. My favourite part of the programme was seeing how committed our officials are and the difference that this makes in the lives of our learners who live and learn under difficult circumstances. Learners are taught the Safe Schools Toll Free Hotline number from Grade 1 and know that they can call this number for assistance with anything at any time. Our Safe School Hotline number is 0800 45 46 47. The Edward Primary school programme is just one of many holiday programmes this winter. A number of stakeholders have come on board to assist us with the various holidays programmes on offer. The programmes include various government departments and NGOs, the City of Cape Town, Metro Police and the South African Police Service. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all stakeholders who are working together to better the lives of learners and expand the opportunities available to them. Our combined efforts as Government, civil society organisations, parents and communities at large can help ensure that no children are put at risk during the summer holiday period. I would like to wish all the Grade 12's the very best of luck with their studies over the holidays and for what is the most important examinations they will write in their school careers. Primarily, the onus is now on you - the candidate. Nothing is ever achieved without hard work, and I have every confidence that you will make yourselves and the Western Cape proud. I look forward to what we can achieve in education "Better Together". | |
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