Tsogo High/Secondary School Alumni - NPO Registration No.053-952-NPO

Category: School and Learners Page 3 of 4

Is there such a thing as “free education”? – Kelebogile Seleke

This is a submission to the 2016 Tsogo Alumni Society Essay Competition. The essay is the learners work and has gone through some minimal editing for presentation. 

Author: Kelebogile Seleke

Grade: 11B, Tsogo Secondary School

Title: Is there such a thing as “free education”? Could this “free education” be achieved by non-fee paying schools (like Tsogo Secondary) and “free” higher education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement?

Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine and that a child of a farmworker can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another” these are the words of the late President Nelson Mandela.

Education, a vital tool that one can possess in life.

Fees Mus Fall Protests

Fees Must Fall Protests

Is there such a thing as “free education”? – Tshiamo Morokane

This is a submission to the 2016 Tsogo Alumni Society Essay Competition. The essay is the learners work and has gone through some minimal editing for presentation. 

Author: Tshiamo Morokane

Grade: 11D, Tsogo Secondary School

Title: Is there such a thing as “free education”? Could this “free education” be achieved by non-fee paying schools (like Tsogo Secondary) and “free” higher education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement?

Nobel Peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, said that “education is the birthright of every child and that the denial of education is totally unacceptable”. He said this in context to the cases of child labour that were prevailing in India and because he saw education as the silver bullet to alleviate this unacceptable situation.

Fees Mus Fall Protests

Fees Must Fall Protests

Many countries across the world agree with Satyarthi, and many who came before him who held the same ideal. Countries like Brazil, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Germany, France and Scotland to mention a few have implemented various systems of free education across the different education levels. Some have had the ability to offer this same opportunity to international students as well. Countries like China are taking strides to follow suit as they have also seen the benefits of an educated society. Although the right to education should be a universal entitlement, what does real free education actually cost? How much does it really amount to if we had to count, add and quantify it? I looked up the definition of the word “free” in the dictionary to fully understand what I am writing about. Two definitions stood out for me; “without cost or payment” and “remove something undesirable or restrictive from”. The second definition stood out for me, the most. Maybe the idea of a system of free education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement is something that can be achieved in our lifetime; the moment we remove all that restricts our thoughts about this seemingly pie-in-the-sky idealistic system.

Is there such a thing as “free education”? – Boitshoko Mboweni

This is a submission to the 2016 Tsogo Alumni Society Essay Competition. The essay is the learners work and has gone through some minimal editing for presentation. 

Author: Boitshoko Mboweni

Grade: 10B, Tsogo Secondary School

Title: Is there such a thing as “free education”? Could this “free education” be achieved by non-fee paying schools (like Tsogo Secondary) and “free” higher education as espoused by the #FeesMustFall movement?

There is no such thing as free education and non–fee schools like Tsogo secondary school cannot achieve it, and there is no free higher education as espoused by the # fees must fall movement.

Non – fee schools are in a state of emergency as the buildings are no longer conducive for teaching and learning as they are old and date back to the twentieth century. These schools also lack facilities such as fully functioning school libraries; spacious staff rooms; enough classes, medical rooms and a science lab among other things. This causes hardships when it comes to meeting the curriculum requirements and producing good grades at the end of each academic year.

Fees Mus Fall Protests

Fees Must Fall Protests

Tsogo Raffle for Students

Exclusive for Tsogo Students:

Win a Blackberry or a Digital Camera

Bike

Prior to returning home in September, US Peace Corps Volunteers Gary and Merideth Gaffney are raffling off their mountain bikes to children here in Mmakau. They are donating their bikes and using funds from selling raffle tickets to purchase additional bicycles which will be added to the raffle. The goal of the project is to raise enough funds through raffle sales and various donations to distribute fifteen (15) or more new mountain bikes to children in Mmakau who would otherwise never have a bicycle of their own.

Raffle tickets cost R10 with sales ending Friday August 16th, the raffle drawing occurring Wednesday August 21st at 14H30 at Mmakau Moemise Primary School, and bikes distributed to the lucky winners following week. All funds raised will go to purchasing bikes. Each 85 raffle tickets will add another bike to the raffle.

Community service is one of the principles of Tsogo Secondary School. Participation by Tsogo learners in the Mmakau Bike Raffle is a form of community service that will comply with this tenet of your Tsogo education.

Tsogo students can purchase tickets for the Mmakau Bike Raffle from the school committee selling the tickets. These tickets will be included into the bike raffle in the name of village children who cannot afford to purchase tickets for themselves. When 200 or more raffle tickets have been bought by Tsogo learners, these tickets will be put into a special Tsogo-only raffle of a Blackberry. If the number of Tsogo tickets exceeds 400, a Canon digital camera will also be raffled to the Tsogo participants. If 600 or more tickets are purchased, a secret but very attractive third prize will be added.

Please consider buying one or more raffle tickets so that a deserving child here in Mmakau might have a bike to ride. It will make you feel good and help the community. And you might just win a Blackberry or digital camera!

For more information or to donate to add more bikes to the raffle, please contact Gary Gaffney at 083-683-4203 or ggaffney1951@gmail.com.

Report Back: Tsogo Career Expo 2013

Dear Presenters, Alumni & Friends,

The Tsogo Alumni Society and Tsogo Secondary School would like to thank you sincerely for attending our 5th Career & Study Expo on Friday 8th March 2013. The day benefited our learners tremendously and we thank you for taking your time to speak to them, educate them about application processes and impart some useful information as they look to enter the study and work arena in the coming months and years.

We made some feedback slides with some pictures from the day! We hope you’ll enjoy them.

You can view the slideshow here.

Each year we strive to improve the expo, your experience and value for Tsogo’s learners and as such, we greatly value your feedback. We would be really grateful if you could help us to improve our Career & Study Expo’s going forward by sending us an e-mail with responses to the following questions:

  • Was the Career Expo a valuable experience in your opinion?
  • Is there anything that you would like us to change about the structure of the Expo?
  • In your opinion, do you think your information was useful for all Grades (Grades 9 – 12)
  • Would you have liked to have spent more time with Grade 11 & 12 learners and less with lower grades?
  • Any other comments are appreciated

Should you have any further questions or comments, please send us an email (tsogoalumni.expo@gmail.com)

We look forward to having you again in March 2014.

Best regards,
Thabo Ncalo
Tsogo Alumni: Executive Committee

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