Gauteng education MEC is ‘the best’

GAUTENG’S Panyaza Lesufi is the best among the education MECS in South Africa, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said yesterday.

“Gauteng is top dog this year.

This is one moment we must say good things about dogs. I often hear people insulting dogs. Dogs are such wonderful animals.

“You guys (Gauteng education officials and learners) are top dogs this year,” Makhura said at an awards ceremony for Gauteng’s matric top performers in Pretoria.

“I want to take this opportunity to commend all the role-players, starting with MEC Lesufi…

“We were just waiting for evidence that MEC (Lesufi) is the best MEC for education in the Republic. This (the 2018 matric results) is the evidence,” he said.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Thursday that Gauteng was the top-performing province in the 2018 academic year.

Motshekga made the announcement in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Gauteng achieved an 87.9% pass rate, with the Free State a close second at 87.5%, followed by the Western Cape, with the North West fourth.

The national matric pass rate is 78.2%, progressed learners included, an improvement of 3.1%, compared to 75.1% the previous year.

Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga paid tribute to the class of 2018 – particularly the learners in townships, who had shown great “resilience”.

“I want to take hats off to teachers and principals. Those are the people working in the public sector who get to be blamed for everything that goes wrong, but when things go right nobody ever acknowledges the work that they do.

“So, to the principals, teachers and support staff who are here – a salute to you,” said Msimanga to resounding applause.

Motshekga and her spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, were also present at the Gauteng awards ceremony hosted at Unisa. | African News Agency (ANA)