The first generation of learners entered the new classrooms at Kopanong Mashudu Primary School with a spring in their step and eager to begin learning.

THE first day of schooling this year started on a positive note for pupils of Swanieville, in Kagiso, when the Gauteng MEC for finance, Mandla Nkomfe, officially opened a new primary school.

Kopanong Mashudu Primary School will accommodate more than 500 pupils. Construction on the modern school began in 2008 and finished in 2010.

Nkomfe, who was accompanied by City councillors, officials from the education and social development departments and the ANC Youth League provincial leadership, said he was impressed by the readiness of the teachers and pupils on the first day of schooling.

"This is a fairly new school, without history, and we hope this new building will [make] the teachers very anxious to get the ball rolling," he said.

"I'm very … happy for the pupils who are the first generation to be enrolled at this beautiful school. [Its] architectural design makes it one of the best schools I've seen in the country.

"Most importantly, we [political leadership] are impressed by the readiness of the teachers and pupils to get started. You could see on the faces of both teachers and pupils that there is liveliness and they are ready to get the teaching process rolling."

Mashudu is a Venda word loosely translated as "luck". The high-tech school resembles a technical college and is divided into two clusters, one for pre-school and one for juniors. It has a rugby and soccer field and a multipurpose court for volleyball and netball.

Before unveiling the plaque and handing over the school to the community, Nkomfe said: "As a caring government we are proud to be here today on a very auspicious first day of schooling to officially open and hand over to the community of Swanieville such a state-of-the-art education facility.

"We are well aware that our schools are hampered by various issues and one of those is overcrowding. In a move to address overcrowding, the Gauteng government took a political decision to relieve our schools of this burden by building more schools around the province, and the community of Swanieville is blessed to beneficiary of that programme."

Nkomfe said the national government was making strides in addressing issues such as overcrowding in schools, learner registration and provision of learning and teaching support material. "The provincial government would want to see this school turned into a centre of excellence and producing future leaders," he added.

"We also want to urge parents, educators and pupils to be ambassadors of this school … [and] to encourage the community to take ownership of the school and protect it from vandals."

Uniform

School uniforms were also donated to more than 300 disadvantaged pupils. Costing R500 per pupil, each pack contained a pair of trousers, socks, shoes, a shirt, a jersey and a tunic and skirt for girls. They were provided by the departments of social development and health.

Barbara Peega, the principal, was over the moon. "I feel very intimidated by the structural design of the school and feel privileged to head a school that meets 21st century standards," she said.

"We need to sharpen our skills as educators so that the type of pupils that come out of this building should excel in all aspects of life. We are also happy that the MEC took time off his busy schedule to hand over uniforms to needy learners."

Tshepiso Mokgwathe, a Grade 6 pupil at the school, has never had a pair of shoes and a jersey and was equally overwhelmed. "I'm happy to be learning at this new school and I'm going to show my parents my new uniform, which I will keep clean at all times," Tshepiso said.

Thembi Nkwenkwezi, a single mother of two, was happy her son was enrolled at the new school, as it was nearer to her house. "He will no longer travel long distance to go to school, and I hope more schools could be built in the area to assists other learners," she explained.

Nkomfe's visit is part of the provincial government's Back to School campaign. It is intended to inspire learners to take their studies seriously and teachers to be in class on time and improve on the current matric pass rate, which stands at 67,8 percent.

The campaign began with a political briefing at Mogale City Civic Centre. Thereafter, more than 20 officials, headed by Nkomfe, Executive Mayor Koketso Calvin Seerane, and the MEC for social development, Ntombi Mekgwe, separately visited three others schools in Mogale City.

Seerane went to Matla Combined School in Kromdraai, while Mekgwe visited Kagiso Senior Secondary School. Doris Ngcengwane, a member of parliament deployed to the Mogale City Parliamentary Constituency Office, was part of the group.

Related stories:

• Mayor call for parental support
• Mayor gives students financial boost
• Malema visits schools on West Rand
• History is made at Lodirile