The University of Venda Stadium resembled a feast of trophies as those who laboured throughout 2005 were rewarded during the Vhembe District Department of Education Excellence Awards on Friday. Some 284 schools in the Vhembe District received trophies and certificates for their hard work in the previous academic year. The excellence awards covered the Grade 12’s, Abet and Beautiful Schools.

Vhembe Acting District Senior Manager Dr Moses Rathando said the awards are meant to encourage learners and teachers to work hard for the purpose of improving education in the district. He said the award ceremony is an annual event which has dramatically assisted in the improvement of the standard of education locally. “We have seen positive results since we started the idea of the award ceremony some years ago. The award creates the spirit of hard work and this helps in the improvement of results in our schools.”

Well-known Limpopo clergyman and motivational speaker Dr Tshifhiwa Muligwe encouraged the youth to take education seriously so that they may be able to face the challenges of the future with ease. He encouraged the parents to cooperate with the Department of Education and other stakeholders for the benefit of education in the country. He said it was important to set up realistic goals that can be achieved within a given period in life.

“Failure does not necessarily mean that one has to stop pursuing your dreams. Failure gives you the opportunity to realize 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.”

Dr Muligwe said those who did not get awards must not think that it is the end of life. “Never ever give up in life because you can achieve more than what is expected of you. Those who were not awarded here today still have a chance to make it big in life. The most important thing is to develop a positive attitude in everything that one does. You need to believe in yourself and develop a working strategy that you will always stick to. We as community members still have a lot to do to make sure that our children receive the best education so that they become future leaders who will be able to lead our country with distinction…”

As usual, Mbilwi Secondary School scooped countless awards during the ceremony. Among other categories, they scooped the awards for Best School in the Thohoyandou Cluster, Best School that obtained 100% with more than 30 candidates, Best School in the District with enrolment of more than 50 and Best Mathematics and Science School in the district.

The most three beautiful schools in the district were Ngovhela, Madombidzha and Nyamuliwani Primary Schools. Madonsi Secondary School was the most improved school, followed by Govhu.