The Department of Education hosted their Achievers Awards for the Grahamstown District at the Settlers Monument on November 24.
The Department of Education hosted their Achievers Awards for the Grahamstown District at the Settlers Monument on November 24.
Different schools and teachers from in and around the district were present, including Mary Waters High School, Hendrik Kanise and Port Alfred High School.
The motivational speakers who attended the ceremony and made a positive influence included scientist Onica Phanyane, mechanical engineer, Jappe Monele and one of South Africa’s youngest pilots, Boitumelo Katisi, 24.
Phanyane encouraged learners to always pray and put God first in all that they did and to always remember that the Lord has a purpose for every person’s life.
“The Bible says the plans that the Lord has for us are not to harm but to prosper us. Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Egyptians and they thought that they were destroying him but little did they know that God had a greater purpose for him and his life,” she said.
She also encouraged the learners to imagine themselves as pencils that are capable of reaching new heights but should never forget that they need people to help “sharpen” them along the journey, just like a sharpener to a pencil.
“As a pencil you also need an eraser and this basically means that learning from and correcting your mistakes is not a bad thing at all,” Panyane said.
Mechanical engineer Monele, said that learners need to have a positive attitude along with patience to make it in life.
“I grew up in a very abusive home and even had my arm broken but in Grade 9 I received a bursary that covered my high school fees up to tertiary.
“I even started supporting my family while in Grade 9 from the money I would receive” he said.
Monele who passed with six distinctions in matric and did a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with the University of KwaZulu-Natal emphasised to the audience that whatever you may be going through, if you have a positive attitude regardless of the past and present circumstances, you can still make it in life.
He also hailed the Eastern Cape Province as a whole for valuing education, pruning children from an early age and making sure that the children’s academic achievements didn’t go unnoticed.
“The Eastern Cape is the only province that celebrates and makes a big deal of academic milestones from as early as the foundation phase all the way to grade 12 and I commend you teachers for that,” he enthused.
His final words of wisdom and advice to young people were that they should never stop learning and investing in themselves with education.
“I have got an Honours degree and I am starting with my Masters degree next year and the year after that I will be studying at Harvard University for my MBA. The only time I will stop studying is when I start paying for my fees,” he concluded.
Katisi encouraged the learners to think positively about themselves and their aspirations.
“You cannot win in life if you are not a winner in your mind so you need to think positively at all times,” she said.
Katisi said the main thing that made her to go to flight school was the lack of female pilots in the industry.
“I remember while in high school visiting my aunt at SAA, I couldn’t help but notice that there were no female pilots. Most of them settled for being flight attendants,” she said.
She also mentioned how because of being raised by a single parent and not affording fees, she had to approach different businesses and excel at flight school for funding.
“I remember sitting my mother down and asking her to pay for my first licence as a private pilot and saying that from there on I would fund myself through flight school,” she said.
Katisi is due to get her commercial pilot licence in January.
Later in the programme, different academic awards were handed to the learners around the Grahamstown district and educators were also awarded in different categories like outstanding subject performances, excellence in secondary school Leadership and athletics.
