Byline: Andani Matumba
28 January 2022
The Special Programmes unit within the Office of the Executive Mayor wrapped up the Back-to-School campaign on Wednesday, 26 January 2022 at Lekwa Municipality. Since schools opened in Mpumalanga on 12 January 2022, District Executive Mayor Cllr Walter Mngomezulu has been at the forefront supporting learners through brand new full school uniforms and sanitary towels donations as well as messages of support.
The schools visited are within Govan Mbeki, Chief Albert Luthuli, Mkhondo, Msukaligwa, and Lekwa Municipalities.
During the visits, Cllr Mngomezulu highlighted the need for governments’ collective effort to resuscitate quality learning and teaching in line with the District Development Model. Cllr Mngomezulu urged learners to focus on education for the duration of 12 years (grades) in school. He further congratulated the schools that continue to post satisfactory pass rates, especially on Grade 12 results and encouraged those that are not doing well, never to lose hope.
In his speech at the handover ceremony, Cllr Mngomezulu urged learners to focus on education and to also avoid destructive influences from their peers such as joining gangs, smoking nyaupe, drugs and teenage pregnancies. He further stated that the learners should focus on education to build a better future for themselves and that the Gert Sibande District Municipality appreciates school principals, teachers, governing bodies, learners, leadership from the GSDM and local municipalities, for working together with GSDM in bringing about relief to the learners in need.
Challenges that were brought to the attention of the Executive Mayor and his delegation by the school principals were noted and the school principals were reassured that the GSDM will coordinate the relevant stakeholders in line with the District Development Model to ensure that schools are assisted.
