Johannesburg - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga praised the class of 2021 matriculants and said the top achievers from across the country were in a class of their own.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE), in partnership with MTN hosted the 2021 National Science Certificate top learners at a breakfast session, ahead of the matric results 2021 announcement by Motshekga in the afternoon.
DBE Deputy Minister Dr Reginah Mhaule said the sector was celebrating the 2021 matric results and the country’s top achievers thanks to the efforts of teachers.
“They started by teaching our children how to hold a pen, something not all parents taught their children, but a teacher was able to do that. Our teachers are very patient, they persevere and are full of love,” Mhaule said.
She added that the top achievers have made the nation proud because they showed there were still learners of a high calibre despite the disruptions caused by Covid-19.
The deputy minister said although it had caused disruptions, the pandemic had forced the sector to do things differently.
“We thought that the fourth industrial revolution was something that will take four years to arrive but Covid-19 pulled us and said it is here,” Mhaule said.
Motshekga said that the class of 2021 matriculants were literally and figuratively a class of their own as there was significance in being a top learner in 2021.
“It is the only class so far that has studied for two consecutive years under a state of disaster to mitigate against the Covid-19 spread and thank God we made it, we survived and now you are amongst the top learners in the country,” the minister said.
She said the top achievers’ breakfast was one of the key events on the sector’s calendar, held to celebrate the top learners in public schools, and that honouring the top learners was a gesture from a large and complex DBE system.
“It’s a great honour and (we) celebrate your efforts of being a selective few amongst the others. You should know that you are towering high and it’s not a small feat as we had more than 800 000 people sitting for their exams,” Motshekga said.
She added that it was not easy for the 20 former learners to become the top learners in the largest examination in the Southern African Development Community region. The minister congratulated the top achievers for setting the bar very high, and thanked the nation’s teachers and school principals for being the driving force at their schools.
“Thank you parents for supporting your children because without your support we can achieve very little as a sector so thank you very much,” she said.
She said the sector was proud to give the top learners a solid foundation to enable them to keep on climbing “the mountains of life”.
“I want to urge our top learners to keep appreciating the process of basic education because it is your proud history and part of your life forever,” she said.
The Star