The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union in the Free State congratulates all the matric learners of 2022 for their sterling performance in the 2022 NSC Examinations. Their good performance is consistent with those of their predecessors of the previous year of 2021. In 2021 the province registered 85,75% pass and in 2022 has scored an increase of 2,8% to make 88,5%. This is the cohort of learners who went through hardships of Covid-19 and the ever-unending loadshedding in the country.

We commend the Motheo District under the Directorship of Mr December Moloi for being the number one district in the country. This is the district that accounts for the majority of learners who enrolled for matric in 2022 in the province. We further congratulate Fezile Dabi for being the second district in the country and Xhariep and Thabo Mofutsanyana for being in the top ten district nationally. We are mostly delighted that all the five districts in the province have performed above 80%. This is a tremendous performance by our districts which is worth celebrating.

As we celebrate this milestone achievement, we pay tribute to our members, both school and office based for their continuous efforts exerted beyond the duty time in support of the learners on weekends and during camps. This extra effort was put without extra remuneration, sacrificing the comfort of their homes in the interest of the learners. These are men and women who at times get criticised for poor performance of learners by the parents who some have abandoned their parental responsibilities and never supported them even during the tough times of Covid-19. Many of our teachers have perished along the way and could not witness the success of the learners they have taught. We once more salute these revolutionaries and remain indebted to them for their hard work.

Tributes are also in order to the leadership of the MEC of Education, Dr Tate Makgoe and the Superintendent General, Advocate Tsoarelo Malakoane. It is under their leadership that the province has been consistently performing well for four consecutive years, thereby making Free state a leading province in the country. These are the leaders who have steered the ship with the limited resources due to budget cuts in the Department of Education, whilst the demands are forever increasing.

To the learners who could not make it, they should not despair as this is not the end of the world. There is a room to recover and to work harder as the success is not only measured by how many times one fails, but the obstacles one overcomes while trying to succeed. We urge them to utilise other opportunities such as matric second chance program like finishing schools. We further call on the parents and communities to support these learners during this period of uncertainty.

ISSUED BY:

Mokholoane Moloi     :  Provincial Secretary :  076 811 2777

Kedibone Frank             :  Deputy Secretary      :  079 886 3317