01 December 2001

Programme Director, Pastors present and other officials of the Church, the Chief Director for this Region, Directors and other officials of the Department of Education and Culture, the Principal, staff, learners, parents and Management of Domino Servite Combined School, the local community, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is an honour to me to be part of this 14^th Prize-Giving Ceremony at this school. I note with pride that the Domino Servite Combined School has a remarkable track record, which proves that the management, the staff and learners are committed to their work. For twelve years in succession, this school has been achieving 100% passes in Matric examinations. I am confident that they will do the same this year. In the Mathematics Olympiad at the Provincial level, this school came second, and at the national level, it was among the first ten. As Minister of Education and Culture in this Province, I am proud of this record.

Our gathering today, to award those learners who have achieved in various categories of their school life, is further evidence of the school's commitment to excellence in education.

Programme Director, the lives of great men and women, who have walked this earth, relate one story. It is a story of dedication, commitment, sacrifice and perseverance. Behind the achievements of almost all the great men and women, is a story of humble beginnings. Their history tells a story of toiling persistently while their contemporaries were drifting aimlessly in life. It is a story of clinging tenaciously to a cause, propelled by a vision of a better world beyond.

What is of utmost significance is that almost all of them rose from humble beginnings. They were presented with the same opportunities, which were available to every one among their contemporaries. What distinguished them from their contemporaries is that they made full use of those opportunities. Instead of discouraging them, setbacks and adversity spurred them to greater heights.

The learners we congratulate today are taking a little step towards achieving the same greatness. Like great men and women before them, they are also beginning with little steps. I urge them not to underrate their achievements. They must march slowly but purposefully from this victory to another victory until they reach the pinnacle of victory. More over they must serve as encouragement to those who may not be honoured today, that not all is lost.

The learners who are not honoured today must remember that this is not the end. They must double their determination to succeed tomorrow. You must turn today's failures into challenges, which must spur you to victory tomorrow. If at first you fail, try, try and try again, so goes a wise saying.

Recognising someone who has achieved helps that individual and those who watch that achievement. Rewarding someone encourages him to put more effort to good works. It also teaches the one rewarded that in life credit must be given where it is due. These learners must therefore do to others in future as it has been done to them. Rewarding good works is Godly too. Reading through the book of Revelation, especially as you listen to Christ's communication to the seven Churches (Rev. 2: 2-4: 21), you notice that our Saviour does not hesitate to make known the rewards to those who stick to the faith.

All of us must learn this virtue. Recognising something good to someone makes him not offended when in future you point out an error.

The learners we are here to congratulate are a living proof that nothing is unachievable if one is committed. They have shown that with dedication, sacrifice and hard work, one can rise from very humble beginnings to dominate the world of achievements.

Ladies and gentlemen, most of you must have had about the announcement made by the National Minister of Education, Prof. Kader Asmal, when he announced relaxation to the age admission policy. Multitudes of parents are eager to know where we as the Province stand on this issue. Those of you who are familiar with political events will remember that early in the year, the Hon. Premier of this Province, Mr LPHM Mtshali started a public debate on this issue. In addition he put it before the Annual General Conference of the IFP, which unanimously supported the call for a reduction of the age of admission to six years. The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature also supported the same proposal. Therefore, Professor Asmal was coming to terms with what we in this Province have been calling for.

However, the timing of Prof. Asmal's call is regrettable. Most schools have already done their admissions for 2002. We are therefore likely to be under pressure when we consider that both in terms of human power and infrastructure, we may not be able to cope with the expected influx to our schools. I wonder if the meeting, which took this decision, looked at all sides of the matter. Was it a politically motivated decision? Was it a decision taken as a result of pressure resulting from the ruling of the Constitutional Court? These are questions to be answered.

Nevertheless, we as the Department are preparing to face this challenge within the limit of our resources. We are therefore issuing guidelines to schools as to how to carry out admissions. I hope that parents will bear with the department when the New Year begins and that we shall all co-operate in ensuring the smooth beginning to the year.

Programme Director, Domino Servite is a Christian School. There is an understandable anxiety in some sections of our population about what he future holds for independent and specifically religious schools. This is particularly so after the publication of the Revised National Curriculum Statement. Whether or not the ruling party is slowly moving towards a particular brand of education system is yet to be known. Be that as it may, the constitution of the country, which is the supreme law of the land, protects religious and cultural rights as of now. So in terms of the here-and-now, cultural and religious rights have a place under the South African sun.

The party I belong to is known for its standpoint of pluralism. We maintain that South Africa is not homogenous. Therefore, no law must want us to conduct our lives in a uniform fashion as though we were in the military. We further argue that the state should not be the sole provider of education. If anything, particularly because education is an extension of the parental and community socialising process. It is the God-given responsibility of parents to teach their children. We are in fact just delegating our responsibilities to the government. This does not make the government the be-all and end-all in as far as education of our children is concerned. We shall oppose all such measures with the same zeal with which we opposed the past governments.

The promotion of religious education is more that a luxury. It is an imperative if South Africa is to survive and grow as a country. Our country is slowly sliding to anarchy. Slowly criminals are taking over our lives. Slowly sexually transmitted diseases are threatening the very existence of the nation. The breakdown in marital and family relations results partly to multitudes of children who roam the streets and who pose a threat to society unless there are dramatic interventions.

This is the state of our country. No school, no democracy, no material possessions can provide solutions to these problems. I argue that South Africa is facing spiritual and cultural problems, which demand spiritual and cultural solutions. More than ever before, institutions like Domino Servite, KwaSizabantu Mission and all such institutions are standing out as our sources of hope. I urge them to take leading positions in what I call a Spiritual and Cultural Revolution.

I am a Christian by faith. However, my personal convictions are not relevant on this matter, especially because the constitution recognises all religious and cultural convictions. It is my conviction that, however much I may wish, I cannot miraculously make everyone a Christian. Nor can I coerce others into my faith. I am therefore deliberately calling for all religious and cultural organisations in our country to take leadership of this revolution.

In conclusion, may I again applaud those learners who are awarded today, and encourage those who are not fortunate to try harder next time.

I thank also the Domino Servite Combined School for inviting me to share in their moment of joy.

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