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November 7, 2024
TETA and Rivoni School staff at the handover ceremony

TETA and Rivoni School staff at the handover ceremony

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The Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) sponsored Rivoni School for the Blind in Njhaka-Njhaka Village, in Limpopo Province, with a braille embosser machine. The recent official handover ceremony became a demonstration of talent, bravery and brilliance of the learners with their performances of gumboots dance, and traditional and classical choral music received by the audience with boisterous applause.

TETA recently adopted Rivoni School for the Blind, making it the 54th school to be included in the organisation’s adopt a school initiative – through this initiative TETA provides learning resources to enhance learning and teacher capabilities to schools in rural areas. “Rivoni” is a xiTsonga word literally translated “light” in English.

“We want to ensure that the learners in this school know about the vast transport related careers awaiting them… As we handover the Braille Embosser Machine, we are assured the learners and educators will be lifted to greater levels and maintain impressive matric results annually”, said TETA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Maphefo Anno-Frempong. “This is youth month and a special time to bring this gift – a braille embosser machine. You are investing in future presidents and ministers”, stated SGB Chairperson Mathi Mani.

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In conjunction with the handover ceremony, TETA hosted over one-hundred (100) educators from the Vhembe District to a teacher capacitation workshop. The teacher capacitation workshop is aimed at empowering the teachers with knowledge about different career paths and opportunities as well as skills development programmes within the transport sector.

In June 2006, the Rivoni Society for the Blind, a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) registered the Rivoni School for the Blind with the Department of Education. The registration was done to fulfil the NPO’s vision of “equal access to opportunities for visually impaired learners”. The school has learner hostels and offers mainstream scholar CAPS curriculum from Grade R to Grade 12.

The school introduced Grade 12 classes in 2009 following the appointment of the current principal, Constance Mabaso, in December 2008. Matric results in the past six (6) years at Rivoni as detailed below have improved drastically, putting Limpopo Province in the spotlight of Grade 12 top achievers. In 2011 the school achieved 87% pass rate, 83% in 2012 and 90% in 2013. The school has been delivering 100% pass rate since 2014.

Three learners from the school, Ephodia Mudau, Zacharia Nyathi, and Hlulani Malungani were amongst top achievers in the 2016 National School Certificate (NSC) examinations in the special schools category. The trio was invited by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to attend the award ceremony in Midrand early this year.

Story by Agnes Malesa

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