After their sudden elimination in the second leg, the Mapetla Secondary team was disappointed that their journey has come to an end in the quiz competition.
“Though we’re disappointed that we didn’t make it to the next round, we are happy with making it to this stage of the quiz and we are happy with the score that we got. We have worked hard and understand that in life you win some, you lose some. We came and we fought. We hope to enter again next year, and hope by then, we come prepared,” said Mapetla secondary Grade 9 pupil, Tshimollo Mokoke.
Aha-Thuto Secondary mentor and English teacher Johannes Mafalo, whose team is still in the running, said the issue of illiteracy in SAouth Africa troubled him and wanted to contribute to instilling the culture of reading in children.
“I was so sad to read the article about the issue of reading in SA. Ever since we’ve entered this competition, I have seen a change in these children because now they love to read. This has also made other learners at the school start reading so they can also represent the school next time,” said Mafalo.
“Every day after lunch, we meet for 45 minutes as other teachers have been supportive because they want to see us win. If we expose these children to this type of reading, they can go far, I’m so proud of them.”
After being at loggerheads with Aurora Secondary and knocking them out, the Aha-Thuto Secondary school’s president and Grade 12 pupil Thandolwethu Zwane said he was fortunate to be representing his school.
“I don’t know how to even express my emotions right now. Out of thousands of learners in the school, I feel very honoured that I made the team. It’s a privilege. It seems like the strategy we have is working for us, we just need to work on handling the pressure and reading more,” he said.
As the competition draws closer to an end, the overall winning school will walk away with a whopping R50,000, while the first and second runner-up will take home R30,000 and R15,000, respectively.
Pupils can also look forward to additional sponsored prizes which will be up for grabs.
ratsatsik@sowetan.co.za
Eight schools make the cut as the quiz draws closer to an end
Mapetla Secondary team disappointed after failing to get to the next round
The Sowetan SA Home Loans School Quiz is moving to the semifinals on Saturday after eight schools made the cut at the weekend.
The schools that advanced to the next round are: St. Francis College, Springs Girls High, Alexandra Secondary, Jabulani Technical High, Inkonjane Junior Secondary, Vaal High, Aha-Thuto Secondary and Maphutha Secondary.
During the second round, hosted at the Sowetan offices in Parktown, Johannesburg, Sowetan editor-in-chief and quiz master Nwabisa Makunga challenged the competitors grouped in fours with questions on political news, current affairs, entertainment and sports news sourced from the latest newspaper’s editions.
The Q&A sessions saw two groups from each school going head-to-head with each other, showcasing their competitiveness as they kept their eyes on the grand prize.
Others were tense as they faced tough question while others celebrated their victory of securing a spot in the next round.
PICS |Inside the Sowetan-SA Home Loans school quiz
After their sudden elimination in the second leg, the Mapetla Secondary team was disappointed that their journey has come to an end in the quiz competition.
“Though we’re disappointed that we didn’t make it to the next round, we are happy with making it to this stage of the quiz and we are happy with the score that we got. We have worked hard and understand that in life you win some, you lose some. We came and we fought. We hope to enter again next year, and hope by then, we come prepared,” said Mapetla secondary Grade 9 pupil, Tshimollo Mokoke.
Aha-Thuto Secondary mentor and English teacher Johannes Mafalo, whose team is still in the running, said the issue of illiteracy in SAouth Africa troubled him and wanted to contribute to instilling the culture of reading in children.
“I was so sad to read the article about the issue of reading in SA. Ever since we’ve entered this competition, I have seen a change in these children because now they love to read. This has also made other learners at the school start reading so they can also represent the school next time,” said Mafalo.
“Every day after lunch, we meet for 45 minutes as other teachers have been supportive because they want to see us win. If we expose these children to this type of reading, they can go far, I’m so proud of them.”
After being at loggerheads with Aurora Secondary and knocking them out, the Aha-Thuto Secondary school’s president and Grade 12 pupil Thandolwethu Zwane said he was fortunate to be representing his school.
“I don’t know how to even express my emotions right now. Out of thousands of learners in the school, I feel very honoured that I made the team. It’s a privilege. It seems like the strategy we have is working for us, we just need to work on handling the pressure and reading more,” he said.
As the competition draws closer to an end, the overall winning school will walk away with a whopping R50,000, while the first and second runner-up will take home R30,000 and R15,000, respectively.
Pupils can also look forward to additional sponsored prizes which will be up for grabs.
ratsatsik@sowetan.co.za
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