NOLUVO MGIJIMA
MAKAULA Secondary School auditorium in the rural village of Lugangeni in KwaBhaca (Mount Frere) was filled with excitement when the school recognised the outstanding achievements of learners from Grade 8, Grade 9 and Grade 11.
Last Friday, August 1, the awards ceremony was aimed to celebrate and motivate pupils in their academic excellence, hard work and dedication under the theme: ‘Transforming minds, achieving excellence, and rebuilding journeys’.
School principal Nkosifikile Mbewu said that the school didn’t only prioritise matric pupils but also focused on other grades.
“Hosting the awards ceremony was a way of nurturing our learners, as we believe in building young minds,” he stated, adding that the event also served as a reminder that hard work, resilience and determination were key to achieving goals.
Last year’s matric pass rate for Grade 12 was at 80%. The school has set a 100% matric pass rate target this year.
Amongst the awardees was the Grade 8 learner Luminathi Phatsoana (13) who obtained 82.3% overall.
Abdul Alwande Mohammed (14) in Grade 9 achieved 75.3%, while Othando Mbathani in Grade 11 obtained 81.3%.
Othando commended the support she had been getting from her family, teachers and schoolmates.
“The support I always receive keeps me moving and focused on my studies,” she said.
Alfred Nzo District Municipality speaker Sixolile Mehlomakhuku said the municipality’s priority was to support education in the district.
“These awards are a reminder to all the pupils that hard work pays off. We are reminding them that education is the only tool that can be used to chase away poverty,” he said.
Throughout the ceremony, guests and school administrators shared inspiring words of wisdom and encouragement to pupils.
