Pupils from Soutpansberg Primary School received trophies and certificates for outstanding achievements in different categories during an awards ceremony held at the school last Thursday evening.
The principal of the school, Ms Adri Kloppers said that the ceremony was aimed at promoting cleanliness, dedication, faithfulness, self-esteem and a sense of value among the pupils. "Parents should check their children's school work frequently, so that they are able to contribute to their performance in the classroom," she added.
She appealed to pupils who are struggling to succeed not to give up. "Don't waste time in creating excuses. An unnecessary excuse will not make you an achiever," she said. She also mentioned the suspected use of muti to help pupils to achieve better results. "Pupils and teachers had to sweat it out to reap the rewards at the end of the year," she added.
She encouraged the pupils to take education seriously, so that they could face the challenges of the future with ease. She said the parents must cooperate with the Department of Education and other stakeholders for the benefit of education in the country.
"Failure does not necessarily mean that one has to stop pursuing your dreams. Failure gives you the opportunity to realise your mistakes and start afresh to rectify what you couldn't achieve at first. We need to stress the importance of education because it is the backbone of prosperity and knowledge."
An SGB member, Mr Mpho Mphilo, told the pupils how he and others like him had defeated the odds to become successful in life. He told them that they, too, could succeed if they worked hard, planned and stayed focused. The "role models" included engineers, businessmen and medical doctors from rural villages around the area, and all had a similar story to tell: "One can succeed despite one's background".