24 May 2022

Nata Bird and Conservation Sanctuary Trust has introduced an initiative to award best performing schools and students from the four villages of Nata, Maposa, Manxotae and Sepako; that make up the trust.

Speaking during this year’s award ceremony held in Maposa on Monday, the trust chairperson, Mr Jacky Garebolelwe said they conceptualized the idea back in 2017 after the realising that final results for the schools were not very good.

He said they decided to award an annual floating trophy to the winning school, and it was decided that should a school win the trophy more than three times, even if it is not consecutively, it will keep it forever.

He said best performing students from each of the schools were also to be rewarded to encourage them to keep up the good work.

However, he decried the fact that some of the children, who the government catered for under the Remote Area Dwellers dispensation, did not see the need to attend school.

Mr Garebolelwe said so far, Makongwa Primary School in Nata, was the best performing school in Primary School leaving Examination results in the area, having done that more than three times and had since been given the trophy for keeps.

He revealed that the new trophy, which was being competed for this year, had gone to Maposa Primary School.

Appreciating the initiative, Maposa school head, Ms Neo Tafa said it was not about one school beating others to scoop position one, but it was a way of helping them to benchmark against each other.

She said teaching and learning in their schools was a challenge, because some learners still did not see the importance of education. She however, said through support from stakeholders they would gradually come around and reach the national target. Ends