Musina - Matrics who started their final year at Mopane Intermediate School in Musina on Wednesday have been urged to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, who achieved a 100 percent pass rate in 2010.
"You can only achieve this through hard work. You are very lucky because you have dedicated teachers who are readily available to assist you day and night," said Musina Mayor Caroline Mahasela, who visited the school on Wednesday to give the new intake of matrics a word of encouragement.
"For the rest of 2011, forget about anything else and put your books first," she said, adding that she would like all this year's matrics to be able to study at university.
Musina municipal spokesperson Wilson Dzebu said Mopane Intermediate School had 33 matrics who wrote the 2010 Grade 12 exams and that they all passed.
"Sixteen qualified to study for a Bachelors degree at university and 17 qualified to study for a diploma, making them the top school in the nine secondary schools within the Zoutpansberg North circuit," he said.
He added that the school has always achieved a matric pass rate of 70 percent or more since its first intake of Grade 12s in 2005.
School principal Tshilidzi Mabirimisa said the school was determined to achieve a 100 percent pass rate this year. "I am sure that our pupils have been encouraged by the mayor's visit and that they will sustain the 2010 pass rate," said Mabirimisa.
Meanwhile, matrics have been urged to apply to the Musina mayor's office for financial assistance to study further.
