In his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “We will focus on ensuring that every child can read for meaning in the foundation phase to set them up for success in later years.”

This statement aligns with Target 4.2 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education, which advocates for “access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education.” Ensuring literacy and numeracy achievement aligns with Target 4.6 under SDG 4.

Significantly, President Ramaphosa noted: “To achieve this, we are implementing mother tongue-based bilingual education to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes and rolling out lesson plans, reading books and other interventions that have been proven to work.”

In November 2024, I had the opportunity to address the Grade 7 farewell and awards ceremony at Napo Primary School in Ga-Madiba village, Ga-Mashashane, outside Polokwane in Limpopo.

My alma mater, Madenathaga Primary School in Mohlonong village, was disestablished and merged with Ga-Madiba Primary School. Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and Limpopo MEC for Education Mavungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, I can assure you that Napo Primary School is doing more than promoting SDG 4 targets — it is fostering academic excellence.

Despite its rural setting, minimal resources and ageing infrastructure, with some buildings dating back to the 1950s, the school successfully balances academics and extramural activities, ensuring holistic development.

A Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) committee is in place and actively functional. Under the leadership of principal Joel Malesela Mogaila, a fellow Dr MJ Madiba Secondary School alumnus, teachers, parents and other community stakeholders are excelling in enabling learners to thrive in sport, arts and cultural activities. This should make Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie and Limpopo MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Jerry Maseko proud.

My talk at the school, which is adjacent to my former high school and serves as one of its feeder schools, focused on the importance of education, various forms of bullying and how learners can protect themselves. I also highlighted the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land).

With the school’s motto being “Thuto ke maatla” (“Education is power”), I reminded the learners of Nelson Mandela’s words: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education not only fosters intellectual growth but also contributes to economic development and social skills.

Common types of bullying include physical, verbal, relational and cyberbullying. I urged learners to be aware of these forms and shared ways to protect themselves. Increased access to mobile technology has, in my view, led to the rise of cyberbullying, which involves using technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target others.

With the 2030 deadline for achieving SDGs just five years away, I emphasised the role learners can play in environmental preservation. By not littering or polluting, they contribute to SDGs 13, 14 and 15.

The ceremony concluded with awards recognising learners, teachers and parents for their contributions to academics and extramural activities. Notably, Mme Lerule-Ramakhanya, Napo Primary School produced a teacher worthy of the 24th National Teaching Awards (NTA). Raesibe Matildah Ramushu represented the school at the district level in the NTA Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (GET) category, earning her a special award during Napo’s 2024 year-end event.

Mr President, there is a culture of reading at Napo Primary School, where learners observe World Read Aloud Day and World Book Day. In 2023, the school received a trolley library with 500 Sepedi books from AVBOB, donated by Oxford University Press (OUP) Southern Africa as part of the Road to Literacy campaign.

In the 2024 academic year, Napo learners participated in activities such as reading aloud, emergent reading, spelling, puzzles, creative writing, phonics in Sepedi, maths writing and the Limpopo Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa (AMESA) Regional Mathematics Olympiad. Consequently, learners competed at the Maune Circuit, Polokwane Cluster, Capricorn North District and Limpopo provincial levels.

Minister McKenzie, the school’s learners “baiza nie” and have not let their dusty sports grounds deter them from being competitive. However, they require better sporting facilities from both the departments of education and sport, arts and culture.

MEC Maseko, Napo Primary School’s 2025 academic year began on a high note, with 23 athletes representing the Maune Circuit at cluster level in track and field events. Five advanced to the district level for the Polokwane Cluster. The 2025 cohort is building on the 2024 sporting success in athletics, netball and soccer. Their competitiveness highlights the importance of school sports as a catalyst for national sporting development.

Napo Primary School’s vibrant choir and learners’ participation in chess, one of the 16 priority school sports codes, further encourage social skills and determination.

Maubane is a Dr MJ Madiba Secondary School alumnus and a University of South Africa development studies postgraduate student. He writes in his personal capacity.

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