By Emily Setona
QWAQWA – The Mohato Senior Secondary School community gathered this week to send off the Class of 2025 as they prepare for their final exams. The pledge signing ceremony was marked by messages of motivation, reflection, and faith in the learners’ success.
During the ceremony at the school on 17 October, Circuit Manager Johannes Mbule encouraged the learners to give their best effort during the final stretch of their schooling journey.
“It is the final lap, the last push. Your teachers and principal have done their best to prepare you. Now it’s your turn. Mohato is going to achieve a 100% pass rate, ” he said.
Grade 12 teacher Serame Mokhachane delivered a heartfelt message on behalf of all teachers, expressing pride in the learners’ journey from foundation phase to matric.
“All the teachers before us are proud of the Class of 2025. There is a race that I must run, give me power every hour to be true. Remember the five Ps: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance,” Mokhachane said while addressing the learners. He shared a personal childhood story to illustrate perseverance and the importance of accepting help:
“When I was young, I stepped on a thorn and didn’t tell my grandmother for three days. When she finally saw me limping, she removed it. I liken you, matric learners, to myself — allow us to remove the thorns in your path. Education is a gift that can never be taken away. It is more magnificent than diamonds and more precious than gold.”
Guest speaker Tshepiso Senyane, in his keynote address, inspired learners to stay disciplined and focused on their dreams.
“Discipline is doing what is right even when you don’t want to. A dream is what wakes you up and keeps you going. Poor people can proceed to prosperity only if they are willing to pay the price,” Senyane shared.
He went on to remind learners of the unchangeable truths of life:“Life is tough, especially for those who play. You have to fend for yourself. Some give up, others make it, but it depends on you. I can teach you things but I cannot make you learn; I can guide you but I cannot make decisions for you.”
The candlelight ceremony, led by teacher Neo Marumo, symbolised purity, faith, and new beginnings.
“A white candle represents spiritual connection and cleansing,” he said.
“As learners of Mohato, you light this candle so you can go into the world and be a light out there.”
Grade 12 learners recited the pledge before their parents, fellow learners, teachers and their principal and signed it committing themselves to observe and honour the words and rules that they just recited. Kedibone Molingoane expressed her confidence ahead of the final exams.
“I’ve been preparing since January, and I have faith in God that everything will go according to plan,” she said.
“The pledge we signed reminds us not to copy or help others, to act with integrity. Next year I want to study towards becoming a doctor or an aeronautical engineer.”
As the Class of 2025 steps into their final examinations, Mohato’s teachers, parents, and learners remain united in hope and determination, ready to make the vision of a 100% pass rate a reality.
