The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is encouraging learners to work hard to make up for the lost times after the COVID-19 outbreak affected last year\u2019s academic year.<\/p>\n
Minister Angie Motshekga is visiting schools in Gauteng as learners went back to school today.<\/p>\n
Addressing learners at a school in Tshwane, she urged them to grab every opportunity at their disposal and make the best of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cScientists estimate that last year we lost almost 60% of our teaching time for that time you had to close for a long period and even when you came back you had to go into rotation and all sorts of things that takes away teaching time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She believes the department has to do everything in its power to redeem itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means we have to work for the 100% of this year and still clawback the 60% we lost last year. It is the big task,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, she said the learners must do everything to pursue success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know any successful person who regrets and says this success is a problem. People who regret are those who squandered their opportunities and can\u2019t look after themselves and their children and it becomes a lifetime problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also told the pupils that she was a teacher with a degree before she became the Minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s never a single month I never got a salary. So, even there were difficulties and I ran out of money, but I knew the 15th of every month was coming [for me to get paid].<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to live a life where you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen to you the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
She believes that education is the only ticket that can give you that life of certainty.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, she pleaded with them to join forces with their teachers and principals as the success of the nation depends on them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m standing here to say please cooperate with the school to give us results. The only way is education,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n
She cited mining mogul Patrice Motsepe and told them that he did not become a billionaire overnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a lawyer and he came to understand the world of mining when he was working with the mining companies. His wife is a doctor. Our President is a lawyer. His wife is a doctor.\u201d <\/p>\n
Motshekga said she is proud to call herself a teacher and urged the pupils to attain qualifications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more educated and sophisticated you are the less you get involved in wrong things because you can look after yourself, family and environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described herself as a \u201cfussy\u201d grandmother who only wants the best for her grandchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also want my granddaughter to say [her boyfriend] has passed matric and going to the University of Pretoria and then I smile. If he doesn\u2019t have matric, it\u2019s a non-starter. He must have matric as a starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also, she said the quality of the matric pass also counts and told them to do well in Grade 12 to attract bursaries. \u2013 SAnews.gov.za<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is encouraging learners to work hard to make up for the lost times after the COVID-19 outbreak affected last year\u2019s academic year. Minister Angie Motshekga is visiting schools in Gauteng as learners went back to school today. Addressing learners at a school in Tshwane, she urged them to grab […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[38678],"class_list":{"0":"post-180569","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-south-africa","7":"tag-sanews","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180569\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}