We say to them: Well done! We are proud of you, the Province and Country are proud of you, your parents are proud of you, and most importantly you should be proud of yourselves.
The reason we invoke pride at a moment like this, is in recognition of the fact that a moment achievement emerges out of a longer time of difficulty and sacrifice, that today represents a moment of clarity out of circumstance which can best be described as complex.
Matric is complex.
Over the last ten years we’ve had to shift the entire education system out of its apartheid orientation. To a large extent we’ve succeeded in terms of greater integration, a single syllabus and exam, greater numbers of those who write and pass matric, and an awareness that education also serves needs beyond the individual - that the entire economy is dependent on the set of skills provided by the education system.
Matric is indeed complex.
Our leaders who gather here at Leeuwenhof are undoubtedly the finest we have, those who have achieved best, and those who are deserving of all the accolades this Province can muster. Yet our thoughts go out too to the 71% of the population over 20 years old who did not complete secondary education, the roughly half of the 80 000 who entered Grade 1 with you 12 years ago who did not even write the exam in 2004 because they dropped out along the way, and the many who wrote, but because of subject and grade choices, have matric certificates that cannot be absorbed by the economy or tertiary education.
Matric is complicated even more by the fact that you are our shop windows. The nation judges our future by your performance. They base their optimism on your well being. They base their hope in the future by our investment in the education system that converges on this moment of celebration. And yes, the largest slice of both the national and provincial budgets goes into education. This year alone, to preserve the employment of 2000 educators we’ve had to divert money away from the other provincial functions into education. We have to intensify our investment into poorer schools so that in increasing numbers the equality of education is felt through the greater belief in the future in every township school.
Most importantly, Minister Dugmore and Superintendent-General Swartz, we have one shot at producing a Human Resources Strategy to justify all of this investment. We need to produce matriculants who are firm in their values, outstanding in their results, relevant to the economy, faithful to their society, and of benefit to humanity.
This is what we came to celebrate here today. You represent these hopes as we build our Home for All. We celebrate your achievements because you sacrificed and worked hard, your parents sacrificed and kept you in school, and your society sacrificed and invested in your future.
Many doubt the value of celebrating matric achievements given it’s complexities and the fact that it may still reflect the residue of an apartheid system. Only you can overcome this by being actively and consciously committed to building a Home for All, one that is non - racial and more equal. This must be reflected in all the choices you make from now onward.
Up to now you only had to choose how hard you will work. Your matric certificate enables and compels you to make decisions and choices about the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to lead.
Congratulations and good luck.
For any media enquiries, contact Redi Direko 082 805 9119.
