KABOKWENI - Even if the horde of cheering learners had sat on the roof of KaBokweni’s Khutsalani Secondary School, it would still have been blown sky high by their sheer jubilation for wearing the same uniform as Mpumalanga’s top mathematics student.
Muzi Tshabalala was duly honoured for his perfect score in mathematics, alongside the rest of Mpumalanga’s top 10 achievers in last year’s senior certificate examinations.
A beaming MEC for education,
Ms Reginah Mhaule, could not contain her emotions as the achievers took to the stage to receive their trophies, certificates, laptops, printers and copies of Encyclopaedia Britannica from her and the head of the department, Ms Mahlasedi Mhlabane.
With nine of the province’s top 10 achie-vers present, the MEC told learners of Khutsalani to take a good look at themselves and realise that the achievers were just like them - "they eat pap and vleis just like you, they have red blood just like you, they breath oxygen just like you and if they made it, it you can too’’.
During her speech the MEC only briefly detracted from the festivities by mentioning the "dark cloud brought about by what transpired prior to the exams as well as prior to the release of the results".
Mpumalanga was again at the forefront of controversy after numerous papers leaked out and Umalusi announced that Mpumalanga’s results would therefore not be released with those the rest of the country.
The province was consequently stripped of its examination responsibilities which will from now on be managed by the national department.
The MEC praised Tshabalala and urged others to emulate his choice to excel and achieve his  goal through dedicated hard work and continual study.
The class of 2009 recorded an overall pass rate of 47,9 per cent compared with 51,8 per cent in 2008, representing a decline of 3,9 per cent, placing Mpumalanga last out of nine provinces.
The MEC urged learners who qualified for supplementary examinations to register by January 28, including those candidates who wrote before 2008 and still needed  to complete matric. Meanwhile official visits to schools in the province at the start of the academic year went well and in Mpumalanga, unlike other years, all learner support material was delivered to the more than 2 000 provincial schools on time.
Nonetheless, 2010 is the shortest academic year ever and great dedication will have to be shown by teachers, learners, parents and communities in general to ensure a better pass rate.
"It is possible," Mhaule concluded.