Well-known media personality Ms Zwikhodo Netshituni has urged the youth to make informed decisions about their future in order to make it in life.

She was one of the guest speakers during a special function to motivate learners and parents to prepare for the coming examinations. The event took place at the Wells of Revival Christian Church in Makonde on Sunday.

Several outstanding learners from different schools in Grades 8 to 11 received certificates and medals in recognition of their achievements. Six schools also competed for the Overall Best School award and the winning school received a floating trophy.

The church’s founder and leader, Pastor Mmboswobeni Mankhili, said it had become important for the church to have such a special Sunday at the church before learners start with their end-of-year examinations. “Our learners are failing and not because they do not know what they are writing about, but because they are not prepared for the examinations. Let us prepare them in advance,” he said.

Mankhili said the number of suicides after the examinations had become a source of much concern and ways should be found to curb and stop them. “Learners should prepare for their work while, at the same time, parents should encourage them and motivate them to work harder.” He said learners were the future of the country and if they were not educated, the country would be heading for ruin.

“A nation without education is doomed and will not develop. Let us help prepare our youth to be responsible members of society who will contribute positively to the development of our country,” he said. “Never again would we like to see our youth making headlines in papers after committing suicide or after shooting their principals for ‘failing’ them at the end of the year”.

Speaking during the function, 18-year-old Zwikhodo said learners had to make informed decisions if they dreamed of making it successfully in life. Zwikhodo, who triples up as a second-year media student at university, a reporter and a motivational speaker, said the decision to make it in life lies with the individual learner.  “You either choose to make it or fail in life, but whatever unwise decision you make will come back to haunt you later in life,” she said.

Netshituni also encouraged the youth to pray for whatever they want in life. “Today’s youth are known to forget and to look down upon the power of prayer. Let us change all that and start believing that with hard work and God, everything is possible,” she said. She concluded by encouraging all learners to use their time profitably. “There is time for everything; allocate more time to your school work and you will get the best results at the end of the year,” she said

Rev Thivhilaeli Nedohe, a well-known academic and founder of the Evangelical Confessing Church in South Africa, told the congregation that the world was full of opportunities and that anyone with a strong desire to succeed could do so. He said people with big disabilities had managed to overcome them and become important people in society. He said research had shown that, out of 100 people who started working at the age of 20, only five will be financially stable when they retire and only five percent of the population from this country full of opportunities ever reach the satus of financial independence. “Surely there must be something that is preventing them from reaching their goals,” he said.