Tag Archives: parents

Maribe welcomes improved matric results

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Picture: Ward 20 councillor in Greater Taung Local Municipality, Itumeleng Maribe

By AGISANANG SCUFF

13 January 2026- The ward 20 councillor in the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM), Itumeleng Maribe said they welcome the release of the latest matric results and wish to acknowledge the collective efforts of education stakeholders, school leadership, educators, parents, learners, and community members in advancing the quality of education within the municipality.

Maribe said of particular note is the significant improvement recorded at Majeng Secondary School.

He further said the matric pass rate increased from 31.7% to 81.8%. Maribe added that this improvement reflects the impact of strengthened leadership, renewed focus on teaching and learning, improved governance, and enhanced collaboration between the school, the Department of Education and the community.

“The progress made by Majeng Secondary School demonstrates that targeted interventions, accountability, and teamwork can yield meaningful results. The municipality also acknowledges the performance of Mammutla Secondary School, which achieved an 80.9% matric pass rate.

“Sustaining strong academic outcomes requires consistent effort and resilience and the school’s results reflect ongoing commitment from educators, learners, school management, and parents. The GTLM remains confident that, through continued dedication and support, the school will continue to strengthen its academic performance in the years ahead,” he said.

Maribe said the municipality also recognises the role played by the North West MEC for Education, Viola Mocumi, the District Director Mojakhumo Dithejane, the school principal, Gordon Letebele in providing oversight, guidance and support to schools within the area. He said their leadership remains critical in driving sustainable improvements in learner outcomes.

“Education remains a key priority for the municipality, as it is central to social development and the future prospects of young people.

“The municipality reaffirms its commitment to working closely with education authorities and communities to support initiatives that promote learner achievement and school improvement,” said Maribe.

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PICC will continue to clamp down bogus initiation schools

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Picture: Initiates during sacred tradition ceremony

By BAKANG MOKOTO

27 July 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, applauded the Provincial Initiation Committee (PICC) for clamping down on illegal initiation schools in the province, which mushroomed during the winter initiation season. The initiation season concluded last weekend.

Molapisi further said the final group of initiates descended the mountains on 19 July 2025, marking the end of a sacred cultural journey for many young boys across the province. He added that, the PICC led by its Chairperson, Kgosi Godfrey Gasebone, has shut down over 18 illegal initiation schools and rescued over 100 initiates for being exposed to unhygienic conditions and some of the initiates were underage.

“We want to issue a stern warning to the initiation school principals and traditional surgeons that we will unleash all the resources at our disposal to clamp down on bogus initiation schools.

“This winter season saw scores of initiation schools legally approved and monitored across the province by the PICC in collaboration with House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, Health Department as well as South African Police Services,” said Molapisi.

He said his department has reaffirmed its commitment to uphold the application of health standards and enforcing the regulations of initiation school as per the Traditional Circumcision Act – 2001 and Customary Initiation Act of 2021. Molapisi said his department will strengthen its educational and awareness initiatives to ensure communities are well-informed about the legal requirements and cultural protocols of running an initiation school ahead of the summer season initiation in December 2025.

“The safety and dignity of every initiate remains a top priority, and the department calls on communities, parents, and traditional leaders to continue working together to protect this sacred tradition from abuse and criminal exploitation,” he said.

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Northern Cape Department of Education’s alleged financial mismanagement affects learners

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By OBAKENG MAJE

20 January 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Northern Cape said learners, parents, educators and local businesses are paying the price for the Northern Cape Department of Education’s alleged financial mismanagement. The DA’s Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) in Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, Priscilla Isaacs said the oversight they conducted confirmed that learners, parents, educators, principals, and local businesses are paying the price for financial mismanagement and poor prioritisation by the Northern Cape Department of Education.

Isaacs said parents and guardians taking their children to school this week were met with unprecedented requests for stationery, cleaning materials, and other items as the department failed since 2024, to pay funding for learning and teaching support materials, maintenance, food schemes, and other essentials.

She said while the department admitted its failure, it only committed to partial payment of outstanding monies.

“School communities are left scrambling to cover unexpected costs. As the department only paid 27% of schools’ funds for learning and teaching support materials, classes are left without stationery.

“Grade 12 learners at a Kimberley-based high school have been sitting on their hands since the academic year started, because the school lacks textbooks and cannot afford paper to make copies. Schools also receive only 35% of their hostel subsidies for two quarters, creating serious financial shortfalls at very short notice,” said Isaacs.

She further said one hostel near Calvinia resorted to sending learners home over the weekends, because the school cannot afford to pay staff and provide food for two non-school days. Isaacs added that not all parents can afford additional transport costs.

“Educators are under immense pressure to keep classes afloat from their own pockets. Yet without funding, schools are not necessarily able to pay educators their salaries.

“A school in Daniëlskuil was forced to use funding intended for salaries in 2025, to pay operational costs in 2024. Without funding, schools cannot provide the security needed to prevent vandalism and theft. Schools in Ritchie attest to the frequency of break-ins and vandalism after hours and during school holidays,” said Isaacs.

She said most schools visited by the DA representatives are unable to pay municipal accounts timeously. Isaacs said a school in Keimoes also struggles to afford prepaid electricity.

“Without electricity, the school’s pumps cannot draw sufficient water from the reservoir for hostel learners. While the department urges schools to engage with service providers, prioritise critical needs and plan conservatively, some schools have already been turned away by local businesses due to high debt levels and will find it impossible to make alternative arrangements without sufficient funding.

“It is also unrealistic to expect local businesses to subsidise schools indefinitely. I know of one business that hasn’t been paid for six months for school printing services. Why must it pay for the department’s failures?” she asked.

Isaacs said the department could easily find the funds to cover essential education services if it improved its abysmal financial management. She said in the last financial year, the department frittered away over R647 million in irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

“While one school in Ritchie only had enough supplies to feed children from an impoverished community for two days, the department upped its spending on its own catering for officials by 50%.

“And while schools are left without pens and paper, the department splashed out on gifts worth more than R3.5 million. We question the wisdom behind lavish gala events to celebrate the lowest matric pass rate in the country for the second consecutive year,” she said.

Isaacs said surely this funding could have been used to assist schools in impoverished communities, where parents cannot afford to feed their families, let alone afford to carry schools on their unemployed backs.

Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Department of Education response will be incorporated in the article when received.

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