CARING...Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality mayor, Eddie Mailula, helping a young learners tie a pair of new shoes.

Source: Supplied

The executive mayor of Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality, Eddie Mailula.

Source: Supplied

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The mayor of Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality in Burgersfort, Limpopo, has been on a drive to lend a hand in improving education as he builds a city that will needed educated youth to grab opportunities that will come along.

Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality executive mayor Eddie Maila has, since the begging of this year, donated school unforms to children from disadvantaged families; awarded laptops, certificates of appreciation, and stationery vouchers to the municipality top 12 best matric learners in 2024.

The beneficiaries of the school uniforms were from Mokutung Primary School, situated in Mokutung village ,Ward 1; Kgoedi Primary school at Ward 35 Mahlabaphooko village; ⁠Bogalatladi Primary school at Ward 34 Bogalatladi village and ⁠Makgalanoto Primary school at Ward 32 Ga- Phasha village.

Maila has told school principals, educators and learners, that the municipality has initiated this programme to bring dignity and respect to vulnerable learners.

“Many learners are unable to attend school because of the lack of basic needs like school uniform and learning materials. As part of collaborative governance, the municipality saw it fit to assist learners without school uniform to enable them to attend school,” he said.

The mayor has also praised educators for their dedication and devotion to education despite the challenges they faced.

He highlighted that the vision of the municipality to become a city could not be realised with high level of illiteracy amongst the youth. Fetakgomo Tubatse is the fastest-growing municipality in terms of its economy as it has received large investments from global mining conglomerates with interest in minerals such as platinum and chrome that are abundant in the area.

The mining boom has had a snowball effect on the population and the need for more amenities such as houses, schools, hospitals and clinics.

MAYOR TO MEET CIRCUIT MANAGERS

Maila said that he was pleased with the improvement of the 2024 matric results in Fetakgomo Tubatse and applauded schools for their  performance.

“Every year when results are announced, our district always attain last position and this must change so that we can be counted amongst best performing districts in Limpopo province. However there are many challenges that schools are facing and the municipality has committed to assist where possible to ease the pressure.”

The mayor will convene a meeting with circuit managers to strategise on how to improve performance in schools and collaboration on tackling challenges. Maila said that the municipality had also taken a decision to urge all councillors to adopt schools and participate in all their affairs to improve the quality of learning and teaching.

“Education,” he said, “is a societal issue and all must join hands in safeguarding our schools and improve the  learning environment.”

Maila said that more work needed to be done at primary school level to improve matric results.

CELEBRATING THE 2024 MATRIC CLASS

Maila and Sekhukhune district executive mayor, Minah Bahula,  recently celebrated the outstanding achievements of the municipality ‘s top 2024 matriculants.

Twelve top achievers from the municipality were awarded laptops, certificates of appreciation, and stationery vouchers.

The mayors also presented 15 schools that achieved a 100% overall pass rate with laptops and stationery vouchers for administrative purposes.

Bahula stressed the significance of supporting the educational aspirations of young people in the district.

She revealed plans to collaborate with local mayors to introduce a special programme to track students who receive academic support, ensuring their academic progress was closely monitored and that they received the necessary resources for the successful completion of their studies.

Maila encouraged learners to continue excelling in their academic studies and pursue their goals with determination. He said he was proud of the learners that excel and  hoped that they would return to Fetakgomo Tubatse in future to use their expertise to contribute to the community.