Members of Bhisho’s standing committee on education yesterday visited Jubilee Park Primary School, where they promised the woes of the school’s plank classrooms would be a thing of the past.

Standing committee chairman Mzoleli Mrara and chief whip Christian Martin highlighted government’s commitment to building new classrooms and erecting a boundary fence.

Mrara, who visited the school for the second time since October, said the situation at Jubilee was unacceptable.

Some classrooms had no electricity and there were holes in the roof, making it impossible to work.

“I have noted it’s like night time on days when it is overcast and this is unacceptable,” he said.

“There is no fence at this school, and I know it is difficult to control discipline and the school is vulnerable to thugs,” he said.

He said Jubilee Park Primary would be on the education department’s priority list.

“It is our responsibility to restore dignity to this school and I am committing myself to ensuring new classrooms are built.”

Jubilee Park Primary principal Lorna Basuman said 20 new classrooms were needed, including a science laboratory and a library.

Former principal Hamilton Peterson said pupils had suffered over the years.

“In winter water comes into the classrooms.

“The place was even named a health hazard by health department officials and the municipality,” he said.

The committee addressed the Chatty Greenfields community in Booysen Park on plans for the establishment of a mobile classroom.

Mrara said work on a plot for a mobile school would begin next week.

He said 275 children who were idling at home because of a shortage of schools in Chatty Greenfields had been registered as part of a plan to establish a mobile school in the area.

The children, predominantly from grades R to 2, will receive classes at the primary school by next quarter.

Mrara said: “Every child must go to school because we are building the future.”

He pleaded with the community to look after the mobile school and the permanent school that was to be built next year.

source: The Weekend Post

The province‘s bright sparks were happy to share their success secrets with Weekend Post, saying this year‘s new batch of matrics should start studying from day one in Grade 12 if they wanted to excel.

“I worked every day in class so I didn‘t have to study so hard when it came to exams and I only watched my favourite programme every week,” said top Grahamstown pupil Megan Yendall, 18, of Victoria Girls‘ High.

Top Graaff-Reinet matriculant Yvonne Scott, 18, of Union High agreed.

“Take it seriously from the beginning. And if you work really hard you can take the finals more calmly.”

Thembalethu Sikwana, 18, of Lungisa Senior Secondary School in KwaDwesi, who was named the top achiever among historically disadvantaged individuals (HDI) in the PE district, said cutting down on watching his favourite cartoons, jogging to de-stress and studying in groups led to his success.

Thembalethu, who wants to study medicine, scored 93 per cent for maths and 94% for life sciences.

Planning and sticking to a timetable were the secret of Emile Naude‘s success.

Emile, of Nico Malan High School, who was the Uitenhage district‘s top boffin, and who will be studying chemical engineering at Stellenbosch University this year, said he planned precisely what he needed to study for each subject.

“It is vital to study hard for the June and September exams. You can‘t start at the end of the year,” said Emile, who pulled off 94% for maths.

Making summaries and teaching his peers was central to the success of East London‘s top Grade 12 pupil, Pratik Pokharel, 17.

Pratik, of Selborne College, said he made “compressed notes” two weeks before exams began and then went over them a day or two before the finals.

“I gave up soccer, movies and going out during the exams,” said Pratik, who will be studying business or actuarial science at UCT this year.

For Melody van Rooyen, of Hoerskool Nico Malan, coming second in the Eastern Cape with six straight A‘s meant studying until 4am on some nights and giving up her hobbies.

“It was all worth it,” said Melody, who will study mechanical engineering at UCT this year.

Avuyile Kopolo, of St James Senior Secondary School in Cofimvaba, said her achievement of becoming the first pupil from a historically disadvantaged background to come third in the province with straight A‘s, was due to “preparing a long time before the exams and being determined and focused on my books”.

Weekend Post Matric of the Year 2008 winner Gerrit Maritz of Daniel Pienaar Technical High School said he was “pleased” with his seven distinctions out of eight subjects.

Daniel, who is enrolled for a degree in electrical engineering at Stellenbosch University this year, advised this year‘s new batch of Grade 12s to “study consistently from the moment the first bell goes with your finals in mind”.

source :Weekend Post