STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT THE VULAMASANGO HIGH SCHOOL SPEECH AND PRIZE GIVING DAY
AT VULAMASANGO HIGH SCHOOL
SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER 2016
Honourable Ministers
Commissioner-General of Correctional Services
Vulamasango Board and Principal
Teachers
Students
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my pleasure, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, to welcome you all to this event. I was delighted to have been invited to join you all at today’s Speech and Prizegiving Day, here at Vulamasango High School. These are always special occasions but today’s event is particularly significant because it is the first of its kind in the history of the School, and the first substantial event since His Majesty King Mswati III officially opened the School in 2015.
Vulamasango has clearly taken enormous strides in development since the early 1970s when it was a reformatory school, offering mainly handcraft and core primary subjects to young offenders. That reformatory is unrecognizable in the context of today’s Vulamasango High School. Even since the start of the 1990s when there were only 30 students and one teacher, the School has grown enormously. Today, it is a completely different entity, with its 465 students and around 65 teachers and other professional staff.
That does not, of course, indicate a growth in the number of young offenders over those years. What it demonstrates quite emphatically, and impressively, is that more and more of the young offenders in our society are being given the opportunity to follow the Vulamasango route, so to speak.
For a young person who has broken the law, or has demonstrated unacceptable behavior, the conventional form of incarceration is rarely the answer. We all know from our own experience the emotional, intellectual and social challenges of youth. Other potentially disturbing and alienating circumstances can add to those challenges and contribute to the falling off the path of honesty and propriety. Where these are serious they will give rise to detention.
But what better way of our Correctional Services providing the necessary “correction” than through giving the young offender the opportunity to achieve education and the acquisition of knowledge and skills – the truly empowering and motivating assets - outside the atmosphere of criminality that pervades many conventional incarceration facilities.
Vulamasango has achieved a spectacular metamorphosis. When one reads about the breadth of education given by the teaching and other professional staff of the School, of the facilities provided to students, one can only say – what a wonderful opportunity is being given to the students to leap back on to the right path and gain skills and knowledge that enable them to pursue a normal adult life and career, and be fully re-integrated into society.
And that is before we mention the achievements of the students, whether individually or collectively. I am informed that last year the students had a 100% pass rate at Grade 7 and 88% at Form 5, in the latter group ranking 119 out of 210 schools in the country. We have students earning a place at our tertiary institutions. Not only that, reflecting the breadth of extra-curricular activities on offer, and the inherent talents of the students, the School Music Choir beat all schools in the country. The boys’ choir achieved number two position in a competition against schools from the nine provinces of South Africa. My warmest congratulations to all concerned.
The School magazine is a joy to read, a superbly drawn up document, reflecting so clearly the enthusiasm and commitment of those responsible for its design and compilation. The magazine really shines – literally too! – and fills us with optimism about the School and what it is offering, and achieving.
Today’s event is partly about the prizes being given to those students who have achieved an outstanding level of performance, and is also a speech day where students as well as teachers will be listening to what we trust are words of wisdom. It is a golden opportunity for me to remind all the students that their achievements are being watched very closely and with the growing admiration that they deserve. When the students leave this programme, at whatever academic level, you will be significantly better equipped to jump on the ladder of life and obtain further education or acquire an occupation. Embrace this opportunity with all the energy you can muster and sustain!
I will be very interested in what the outcome is of this innovative programme of correction for our young offenders. It employs that most powerful of rehabilitation measures – the acquisition of an education that would otherwise be lost. By “outcome” I do of course mean – where you all go on to after receiving an education here. In short, what you make of your lives after you leave here. I wish you all success in that respect.
I can, at this stage, add a further word of encouragement to young offenders. In order that you can get that important second chance in life and not have subsequent educational and employment opportunities compromised by the record, Government is processing an important legislative change. The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act Amendment Bill of 2015 is currently passing through the legislative process and, when promulgated, will remove the criminal record of a child offender at a point three years after the period of correction is completed.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the prizewinners as they enjoy their day and particularly all those dedicated teachers, other professionals and even parents who, under the Commissioner-General, are working to make Vulamasango High School work, so to speak, and share the recognition for the substantial achievements overall, both in academic and extra-mural activities.
Thank you for inviting me today.