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 The only way out of poverty is through education, not through the ANC and not through connections 

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UNIVERSITY of the Free State vice-chancellor Prof Jonathan Jansen has urged Port Elizabeth high pupils not to be like President Jacob Zuma and incompetent government officials.

“Guys I know it is difficult being you, because you live in a country where the most important people in the country do not know how to keep their zips up,” he told pupils yesterday.

“The only way out of poverty is through education, not through the ANC and not through connections.

"Girls -- respect your bodies. First have a degree, then get pregnant. The boys will run away when they find out that you are pregnant. Protect yourselves at all times.”

Jansen was invited by former Uitenhage High School pupil Ghauderen Coetzee-De Vos who wrote a chapter in his book 'Great South African Teachers' to motivate pupils ahead of their final exams.

Hundreds of pupils from David Livingstone Senior Secondary School in Schauderville and Uitenhage’s McCarthy Comprehensive and John Walton schools also attended the motivational talk.

But before moving onto the serious stuff, Jansen showed pupils another side of his personality – that of comedian.

“I am happy to be in Uitenhage where there are more cars than people. Before coming here I had never heard of Uitenhage High, so I Googled it. It said Uitenhage High was the best school in South Africa after David Livingstone,” he said to loud applause from the David Livingstone pupils who were also in attendance.

“This was the coldest winter and it is believed that it was so cold that the president was sleeping with his own wives to keep warm.”

After the ice was broken, he got down to business.

“I grew up in the Cape Flats where I was raised by very religious parents, Abraham and Sarah. They saved me from being like my peers who were drinking alcohol and ended up in jail – they taught me the value of education,” Jansen said.

He said he was the worst performing student at primary school.

“When I got to standard 8 [Grade 10] my teacher told me I was pretending to be stupid and that I had potential. From that day onwards I never came second in my class in South Africa and in America. That day changed my life.

“My daughter is deaf in one ear and we never told her about the deaf ear. We always told her what she can do, not what she cannot do.

“You are smarter than you think. Do not let anyone tell you what you cannot do. Do not be like the incompetent people who run this province – do not be like the government,” Jansen said.

“When Oprah [Winfrey] was at my university last year, we spent about 30 minutes just the two of us and I asked her how she managed to be one of the richest women in the world after she was molested as a child by her stepfather and was a teenage prostitute.

“Her answer was simple – she said in her Chicago accent ‘Jonathan when they gave me a chance for education I said Oprah do not mess it up’,” he said.

“If you think you have problems, think about what Oprah went through growing up in a racist Mississippi where men were lynched and still accomplished what she accomplished.”

Grade 12 pupil Darrel George, 17, said Jansen motivated him.

“The fact that he brought up some personal experience is good. Sometimes we do need to be motivated because we cannot always motivate ourselves. He was very motivating and I enjoyed it,” he said.

Anita Nokhetshe, 19, also a grade 12 pupil agreed.

“It was very inspirational, especially the way he did it with laughter. It is nice to hear something nice instead of being told what you cannot do,” she said.

School principal, Timothy Heynes, said the school was honoured to have Jansen motivating their pupils in a very fun way. Coetzee-De Vos said Jansen was the most relevant person in the higher education system to motivate the pupils.

Comments

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Sun May 19 04:59:46 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 7, 2012

Credo

Very good advice Professor Jansen !!!!!
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Sep 7, 2012

MissBhakajuju

Great Advice Prof...... say it like it is. A spade is a spade !!!
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Sep 7, 2012

Knan

“This was the coldest winter and it is believed that it was so cold that the president was sleeping with his own wives to keep warm.”
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Was it necessary to tell that to pupils, they will end up disrespecting adults.
I did not expect that from an academic with a high intellectual capacity as Prof????
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Sep 7, 2012

KeRataBasadi

Amen Prof.....
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Sep 7, 2012

Galfrend

Zuma resigna tu? You have lost your dignity. Good advice but its not fair for him to use Zuma as an example..feels wrong nje,don ask me y
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Sep 7, 2012

Galfrend

Some of the things said here where not necessary and disrespectful,I agree KNAN
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Sep 7, 2012

Coldcurry

“The only way out of poverty is through education, not through the ANC and not through connections.
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Not being part of ANC and not networking is BAD advice
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Sep 7, 2012

MissBhakajuju

@ Galfrend

hi my Chomi hope u grand, nono......... pls don't defend him, I know wena U've got this Respect 4 old people.....

but he doesn't deserve it
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Sep 7, 2012

ayobaness

@Knan @Galfrend


very stupid i might not suport my president
but giving students that kind of example its rong
i agree with u 100%
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Sep 7, 2012

sakhomba

education is over-rated. how else do you explain thousands of post graduates with honours degrees stuck in most call centres around the country?
as long as financial literacy and entrepreneurship is not taught as a full subject in schools, it is useless to go beyond matric.
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