Joburg - Newly appointed Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane has hit the ground running days after his appointment to the top position when he conducted an oversight visit at the Katlehong School of Specialisation (SOS) in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni.
The visit was to monitor the return of pupils in Term 4 as the Grade 12 pupils prepare to sit for their National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams as well as to monitor the progress of learner placements for Grades 1 and 8.
The Gauteng Department of Education (DBE) said the placements of Grade 1 and 8 was their priority.
The 2022 matric final exams across the country are expected to begin on October 31.
Chiloane was sworn in on Friday taking over from Panyaza Lesufi, now the premier of Gauteng, who had held the position since 2014.
He was the chairperson of the education portfolio committee and a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature before his appointment.
Addressing the school, Chiloane said he had told his team that he wanted to start on a high note and the only way he could do that was to go to the best school.
“This is the best school, not only in Gauteng, but in the country,” he told pupils.
He explained to the pupils that one of the primary focuses that the former MEC and the government had was to change the face of a township.
“A township must not be dusty, we need to move away from the days when we said I come from the dusty streets of Katlehong. There is nothing wrong with turning Katlehong into a suburb but it can become a suburb with your contribution, what you are going to learn here and knowing that when you leave school, you are going to contribute to the lives of the community of your area,” he said.
Chiloane made clear to the matric pupils that he expected nothing but a 100% pass rate from them.
Addressing the media shortly afterwards, Chiloane said the department was going to spend more time on schools that were facing infrastructure challenges.
“We want all our schools to be the best. We used to have a motto in Gauteng which is that we are the home of champions.
The MEC wished the Grade 12 learners good luck for their NSC exams and advised them to carry each other, work in groups and study hard.
Education