SPEECH BY EXECUTIVE MAYOR

CLLR ZANOXOLO WAYILE

EDUCATION DONATION: JACKSONVILLE DELEGATION

25 April 2012

Dear ladies and gentlemen, esteemed visitors from our Jacksonvillepartnership and the Sister Cities Association.

It is an honour and pleasure to be in the company tonight of true partners and friends of the city and people of NelsonMandelaBay. We take possession of your generous donation with humility and excitement, knowing the benefits that will flow from it to our learners and schools.

On behalf of the Council and the residents of NelsonMandelaBay, I thank you.

The lessons this Municipality has learnt from its vibrant international relations programme have been manifold. Among our partnerships, the partnership with Jacksonville is neither the oldest nor, in terms of projects, the biggest. However, I must confess that Jacksonville holds a special place in our hearts. We have experienced from our partners in Jacksonvillea great understanding and insight in and sensitivity to the challenges and needs we face as a developing city in a young democracy. We have enjoyed good advice and invaluable practical guidance.

What we have learnt from all our partnerships is that although we may be divided by an ocean, by culture and many other factors, we share the same hopes and dreams, and there is no more fervent and passionate hope than that one’s children will receive a good education and have a better life.

The issue of education is very close to the hearts of the leadership of the city. As you yourself know and have witnessed, many local schools are in a poor state of repair and many of our learners have to study in conditions that are not conducive to learning.

For the benefit of those of our esteemed guests who may be less familiar with the Municipality’s initiatives in education, allow me to provide a brief summary:

There is no denying that South African education, and particularly education in the Eastern Cape Province, face many challenges. Most of our schools were built in the apartheid regime, with notorious little money being spent on education for black citizens. The schools provided, were inferior both in structure and the content of the curriculum. Facilities were often conspicuous in their absence, and huge classes were fitted into small, underequipped classrooms. 18 years of democracy have not, could not, erased this tragic legacy.

As a caring and responsive Municipality, we could not sit idly by while many learners in NelsonMandelaBaywere studying under unacceptable conditions and could not afford even the most basic necessities such as school shoes and uniforms. We could not sit idly by while many local schools were in a poor state of repair, lacking the facilities and equipment necessary for effective learning. In response to all these challenges, the Municipality established an Education Task Team to assist our children, especially the marginalised, in accessing basic necessities to enhance their schooling experience. As part of the Back to School Programme, the Education Task Team initiated the School Uniform Begging Campaign, which saw us taking to local shopping malls barefoot, begging for school shoes, uniforms and other schooling essentials. The response was overwhelming and highlighted the willingness of our communities to come to the rescue of those that are less fortunate. To date, the campaign has raised over R88 000 in cash contributions. Other donations made, include shoes and school uniforms. The Education Task Team has also facilitated the renovation of a number of schools that were in an appalling state of repair.

Your helping hand from, as it were, across the ocean, has been a god-sent to us in our educational endeavours. Thanks to your generosity, the learners at some local schools such as Joe Slovo and Pakamisa will be able to use proper ablution facilities, which is essential for good hygiene and for restoring their dignity and self respect. No price can be placed on this.

I thank you with all my heart and claim you as friends of NelsonMandelaBay. Thank you for helping us build good human capital that will help to grow and develop our City, Country and,ultimately, the world.

I invite you to relax and enjoy a pleasant dinner with me.

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