Academic excellence celebrated at awards ceremony
There were fears that there would be a lost generation of learners and a loss of educators that would leave a long-lasting impact in the years to come.
The KwaZulu Natal Department of Education celebrated Freedom Day by honouring the Ugu District’s academic excellence in 2020.
It seemed fitting to host the ceremony on such an auspicious day in South Africa’s history, as the underlying message throughout the event was freeing the youth with quality education.
The awards function took place on Tuesday (April 27) at the Marburg Secondary School hall.
Guests included district representatives, subject advisors and senior management from schools.
For the past two years, the Ugu District has achieved the highest percentage pass in the annual National Senior Certificate matric results.
The awards ceremony was therefore held as a means to thank school management for its exceptional performance under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Representatives from both the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) were present, and they reiterated the importance of working together to uphold the district’s excellent results.
Mr Ronald Wood (Sayidi Circuit Manager) described 2020 as “a year that many of us will never forget.”
He described the fears that the education sector had, moving forward with teaching during a global pandemic.
There were fears that there would be a lost generation of learners and a loss of educators that would leave a long-lasting impact in the years to come.
However, he explained that the hard work and preparation put in by staff and management, ensured that Ugu maintained its first position within the province.
The office of the Ugu District Director conveyed a message of appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of the district.
It mentioned how building self-reliant schools resulted in them having enough grit to face challenges as demanding as the pandemic.
Sadtu’s message was one that encapsulated the hard work of both schools and learners.
“We want to keep driving forward and ensure that we produce learners who will change our society,” the union said.
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