The Eastern Cape Department of Education led by MEC Fundile Gade is proud to announce the second hosting of the MEC Excellence Awards to be held 19th April 2024.

These awards which were conceptualised and started in 2023 by the MEC, serve as a platform to recognise and celebrate the continuous improvement in the performance of the Department in relation to National Senior Certificate examinations and other aspects of our education system.

The Department’s historical achievement of 81.42% pass rate for the Class of 2023, up from a 65% in 2017, has ignited a sense of optimism and motivation among various stakeholders across the province, and the country at large, highlighting the belief that more can be achieved in the Eastern Cape.

These achievements, including the realisation of the awards program, have been made possible by the generous contributions of our partners nationwide.

In 2023, the MEC was able to award five brand new vehicles to the best performing schools of 2022.  The Department has managed to attract more support for 2024, which has enabled us to expand the scope of the awards.

The awards will now include one special school for the category of best peforming schools, making the number of schools to receive vehicles to be six. Excellence in the extra and co-curriculum activities will also be recognised as these form a crucial part of our basic education system.

The introduction of the MEC Excellence Awards has fostered a culture of sharing best practices and methodologies among school principals and teachers, across all quintiles and by so doing, addressing imbalances of the past, and encouraging social cohesion amongst our school communities.

The Awards program bears testament to the commitments outlined in the comprehensive education transformation plan that was adopted in 2017.

The MEC has observed over the years that, “If we consistently commit to improved performance across various aspects within the Department, more organisations and partners will be inclined to support and engage with the education sector”, bringing life to our slogan that “education is a societal issue.”

As part of encouraging public participation and making the education profession relatable to the youth, the Department has also introduced a special category in this years Award’s program, called “Popularity Award”.

This category aims to recognise teachers who utilise their social media to positively entertain and influence narratives. The winner of this category will be voted by members of the public through the departmental social media accounts.

Please follow these Facebook accounts as we share more information about the MEC Excellence Awards.

http://www.facebook.com/ECDOEZA?mibextid=LQQJ4d  https://m.facebook.com/GadeFundil?mibextid=LQQJ4d  

Issued by ECDOE: Contact: V. Mboxela (0717132222) Facebook:MEC Fundile Gade Twitter:@MECGade

Special Thanks to our partners