By Johnathan Paoli
The country’s 39 top achieving learners of the Class of 2024 have expressed hope and confidence in their future endeavours despite the challenges.
The learners were honoured at a ministerial breakfast at the MTN Centre in Johannesburg on Monday. It was attended by the leaders of the Basic Education Department and MTN.
Inside Education spoke to some of the learners being honoured, including Malandlwa Baloyi from New Hope School in Pretoria. Despite having brittle bone disease, she has achieved academic excellence and is now set to study psychology at Stellenbosch University.
“I’m still processing that I worked hard enough to be here. My disability played a major role in challenging my progress as a matriculant,” she said.
Olwetho Langelihle Ntombela from Inanda Newtown Comprehensive High School in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, similarly expressed joy at being recognised for his hard work.
“I plan on studying mechanical engineering, but still need to choose where I will complete my tertiary studies,” Ntombela said.
Sboniso Mathebula from Mayflower Secondary School in Mpuluzi, Mpumalanga, said he was hoping to further his career at the University of Johannesburg, specialising in computer science.
“It has been a really rough journey and after writing, I really thought that all my chances of coming here were shattered, but God had other plans,” he said.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube commended the top achievers for their determination, hailing their resilience in the face of not only individual challenges, but also being a generation that had to endure the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when starting high school.
“Learners, we are here to celebrate your brilliance. The spotlight belongs to you. Many of you began your high school journey in 2020, at the start of the pandemic and navigated a world in which learning and teaching became exceedingly difficult,” Gwarube said.
She reminded the matriculants about the value of hard work, perseverance and integrity, and called on them to be leaders who were innovative, hard working and ethical.
“As you take on the new chapter in your life, be an ethical leader, and let what you learned at home and at school be your guiding light,” Gwarube said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
