Helping schools develop … Thabo Mofutsanyana district executive mayor Malefu Vilakazi (middle) chats to her Dihlabeng municipality counterpart Tjhetane Mofokeng (left) and her personal assistant Thabo Mokoena at Ntsu Secondary School

New classrooms and other facilities built at Ntsu Secondary School to replace the makeshift asbestos structures the Bethlehem school has been using will help to inspire pupils to do their best in their studies, the school’s principal, Moeketsi Masiteng, has said.

“Our learners are already inspired,” said Masiteng, who added that his rebuilt school was now one of the best in the Free State.

The new infrastructure built a cost of R64 million provided by the department of education and the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) includes, among other things, computer and science laboratories, a multi-purpose hall and a parking bay for taxis that transport pupils.

“We feel empowered and see our school as a university in the making,” said an ecstatic Masiteng, addressing the crowd gathered to witness the official handing over of the new buildings to the school authorities and the community.

Speaking at the same occasion, the department of education’s deputy chief education specialist, July Gama, said the government is committed to delivering quality education and the building of modern schools was a crucial step towards achieving that goal.

Gama said the department will continue building schools in rural areas where they are needed most.

Where the government is unable to build a school or where the number of learners is too small for a whole new school to be built, such learners are moved to other schools in the area where full board accommodation is provided for free at government-built hostels, said Gama.

The executive mayor of Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality,  Malefu Vilakazi, thanked the staff at Ntsu for the outstanding results the school achieved in the 2015 matric exams even when at that time it did not have  proper classrooms.

“I am proud that Ntsu has improved results from 87.2 percent (in 2014) to 93.8 percent (in 2015),” said the mayor, who supported the class of 2015 by providing them with food during study camps held to prepare them for examinations.

Vilakazi said she was also going to keep her promise to give R10 000 and an iPad to the best performing matric student from the school, adding the money and much-sought after gadget will be soon be delivered to Neo Maboe, who was the top performer and is studying medicine at the University of the Free State.