LIMPOPO education MEC Namane Masemola yesterday urged traditional leaders to make references to education in their meetings in order to make the work of teachers easier.

LIMPOPO education MEC Namane Masemola yesterday urged traditional leaders to make references to education in their meetings in order to make the work of teachers easier.

Addressing thousands of people at the launch of the Quality Teaching and Learning campaign at Nkowa-nkowa Stadium, Masemola said people should stop leaving all the work to teachers.

"January was the worst time in my life because of bad matric results, and that is why we are here, coming out with a turnaround strategy," he said.

"Teachers must do their work and they must also run extra classes. Pupils must learn and other stakeholders must not just sit and watch."

He said last year's results of 48,9percent were a wake-up call and that was why he had travelled the entire province campaigning for quality education to be offered.

Various stakeholders, such as the Democratic Teachers Union, Cosas and school governing bodies made inputs and promised the MEC that they were ready to play a part and hoist the province's flag high when the year ends.

Masemola also said he was ready to see to it that problems of infrastructure were a thing of the past.

The meeting heard Cosas leader Tselo Malatji, who said the organisation would support the campaign.

"We are against corporal punishment and we have called upon our members to get even with teachers who still mete out corporal punishment."

Asked later if that would not bring about lawlessness at schools, Malatji emphatically answered no.