The Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, urged learners to work hard in order to pass maths and science with high marks.

She was speaking during the official opening of a new administration block, built at a cost of more than R400 000 at Ligege Secondary School in the Vhembe District, last Tuesday afternoon.

Ligege Secondary School had been without an administration block since it was started some years ago. The shade of mango trees substituted as a staff room and an administration block where meetings and general administration work took place and was not conducive to proper learning.

The official handing over of the block was a relief and welcomed by learners and educators. They were singing and dancing throughout the function. The block was donated by Abacus Modular, which is owned by Kagiso Trust, the Beyers Naudé Schools Development Progamme and ABSA bank. The block comprises a meeting room, working station, staff and principal’s rooms.

Kagiso Trust and Beyers Naudé Schools Development Programme are comprehensive school improvement programmes focusing on maths and science. They have, in the past three years, invested more than R12 million in special projects such as computer laboratories, science laboratories and administration blocks.

Educators at the school also received more than 30 laptops from Kagiso Trust, which, according to Minister Pandor, will help them to plan and prepare better lessons for learners. "Educators can store the prepared lessons for the whole year in these laptops and this will save them much time," she said.

Pandor said while it remains the government’s responsibility to provide better infrastructure to schools, she congratulated non-governmental developmental companies such as Kagiso Trust for taking a lead in partnering the government in making learning conducive in schools.

"It is absolutely imperative because, without specific facilities, it is difficult for schools to run properly and an administration block is a core part of the necessary facilities for a school to run effectively. There are some places where schools cannot be run effectively, due to a lack of adequate classrooms and because of overcrowding and learning in shacks or mud schools built by communities themselves," Pandor said.

She said her department had set aside R2, 7 billion this financial year to help address the urgent need to replace the mud schools built by the communities in the past and where old and dilapidated building needed urgent refurbishment. Pandor said even though conditions were not conducive to learning in many rural schools, she was proud that their results had always been good, with many becoming top learners in matric examinations.

"I single out Mbilwi secondary school in Vhembe for qualifying for Club 100 during the 2007 matric results, when more than 100 grade 12 learners passed maths on higher grade. This reflects the potential and dedication amongst learners and educators in the rural school of Mbilwi village," she said.

The chief operative officer for Kagiso Trust, Themba Mola, said schools had to improve in maths and science to qualify for the Kagiso Trust educational progarmme.

The principal of Ligege High, Mr Mutshutshu Matodzi, was over the moon after receiving the long-awaited administration block. "It is hard to believe that this is really happening at our school. Gone are the days when meetings where conducted under the trees," he said excitedly.