Advertisement

The first week of the 2021 academic year went by swiftly, in the North West Province. This was as most, to all, learners returned back to school amidst the COVID19 pandemic. If reports are anything to go by, the speed that the week seemed to go by was necessary, given the fact that, as is, the unprecedented late opening of schools in South Africa created a lag in the entire education system. Officials were also doing their rounds this week, monitoring and seeing to the successful opening of all school.

The North West Province, specifically the Dr. Ruth S. Mompati District, was privileged this academic year to have in there mists the Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Reginah Mhaule, accompanied by the North West Provincial Education Delegation during there first week of School monitoring. The Deputy Minister crisscrossed the district accompanied by the MEC of Education in the Province, Mmaphefo Matsemela , as well as well as the District Director, Mojakhumo Dithejane and other officials.

The delegation’s visit to various schools, including Broederspit Farm School, Moeti Primary School, Floradene Primary School and a couple of others in ithe District, was aimed at monitoring compliance towards Covid – 19 protocols and to encourage teachers and learners to continue to work hard. On arrival at Broerderspit Farm School, Deputy Minister Mhaule received a warm welcome from the local delegation that included the District Director Dithejane as well as Circuit Manager, Patrick Metsi and the School Principal. According to MEC Matsemela, the Dr. Ruth S. Mompati District has done well as far as the recent recruitment of COVID-19 Screeners, Educator Assistants and General Assistant is concerned. The MEC, while interacting with Learners, encouraged them to continue wearing their face masks and to also keep to adhering to all other COVID19 precautions.

The Deputy Minister and MEC’s stop at Moeti Primary School, Vryburg, turned out to be an informative kind. Principal of the school Oupa Maselo took the delegation into his confidence with regards to the readiness of the institution to commence with the academic year ahead. Maselo sighted a chronological matter at which the school attended to executing important issues before the opening of the school and for terms ahead. Principal Maselo says that Moeti Primary School has a total of 1496 learners, making it one of the district’s largest schools in term of capacity. Be that as it may, Maselo continued to inform the delegation of the school’s plan to host learners while adhering to all COVID-19 regulations. “624 learners arrived on the 15th of February for their first day of learning. This number of learners is based on adopted rotary model by the school. With this model we have divided the learners into two groups in all the grades.” Said Principal Maselo. The Grade 1 learners, however, will not be following the same protocol. Such learners will be attending on a school daily basis as resolved by all close by stakeholders. “Because of the coronavirus and the lockdown, we as the school feel like we did not do these Learners Justice last year when they were in Grade R” Confessed Maselo. The Grade 1s have been spread out into 5 classroom in an effort by the school observing social distancing.

Throughout the visit by the Deputy Minister, she was impressed by the commitment of the teachers in all the schools she visited. Learners were in class following the instructions of their teachers and implementing the Covid – 19 regulations.

“This province is known for years in producing leaders at national level for example, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Thandi Modise, Director General of the Department of Basic Education, Mr Mathanzima Mweli and many more. This will serve as a motivation to the current learners to make an impact in their studies. In the matric results this province is part of the top 4 performing provinces in the country. Next week during the release of the results we are hopeful that they will be on top as usual.

“We are appreciating the districts for the good work they are doing in our schools and that includes those in rural area. In 2019 Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati became the most improved district in the country. I want to thank all the teachers for the good work they are doing in our schools. Primary schools are very important because they are laying a solid foundation to our learners. They teach learners to hold a pen, if we don’t take care of the foundation we will be in trouble. We need to strengthen and resource the foundation”,said Deputy Minister Dr Mhaule.

-The VIP Team

-NW Education