There was an air of excitement at the school, and smiles on the faces of the six Grade 7 Sakumlandela Primary School pupils who were announced as the winners of a Freedom Day competition.
The school was one of 17 which participated in the competition organised by Gugulethu-based NGO, Realistic, to empower children with critical knowledge and to expand their critical thinking capacity.
Last Monday, social workers from Realistic presented the six pupils with a roving trophy and certificates.
Social Worker from Realistic, Mandisa Nhlanhla, said when the competition was initiated it was aimed at ensuring that children are empowered with all the necessary tools and information to become good leaders in the future.
The competition is structured in a such way that children are encouraged to be comfortable with being themselves while learning at the same time.
“We want to create an environment where children are able to express their opinions freely and fluently,” she told Vukani.
‘’Children are faced with great challenges and such competition aims to help equip them with knowledge so that they can make informed and wise decisions.
“We are extremely grateful that the number of schools are growing, I mean we used to have schools only in Gugulethu and now we have schools in Khayelitsha as well and that is a sign of growth,”she said.
Grade seven pupil, Ntando Dyantyis said he had learnt a lot from the competition and it has boosted his confidence.
He said the competition teaches them about the importance of teamwork and also gives them a platform to express themselves eloquently about about many issues which they deal with.
Teacher, Allen Hlongwane, said he was grateful that his pupils had won the competition and that they were keen to implement some of the things they had learnt from the competition.
