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Minister of Planning, Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, has encouraged learners in Pretoria to work hard in school in spite of the challenges they face.

“Education will give you the opportunity to be better than your parents, so your responsibility is to persevere… so that you can become better citizens and leaders of tomorrow,” Minister Radebe said.

On Friday, he visited Eersterust Secondary and Prosperitas High School, in Eersterust, to listen to challenges that the learners and educators were faced with.

Educators at schools said the community of Eersterust is struggling with drug abuse, substance abuse, gangsterism and unemployment.

Minister Radebe appealed to learners to not internalise their negative surroundings but to concentrate on the positive side of life.

“Let your dreams of a brighter future inspire you. You need to aspire to be someone in life, you must aspire to become teachers, nurses, doctors, scientists, astrologists. The sky is the limit in South Africa,” he said.

Minister Radebe said even though the learners were faced with difficulties they should never lose hope because education is the future.

He encouraged learners to aspire to be entrepreneurs so they could be in business and plough back to their communities.

Principal of Eersterust Secondary, William Louw, said his school experiences break-ins regularly and the gangsters in the area are preying on the learners as they steal their cellphones.

“Drug abuse is rife, many of our learners are using drugs,” Louw said.

Eersterust Secondary High School teacher Lettie Nkosi asked government to assist with improving the school building as it had cracks on the wall.

Prosperitas High School Principal Rafael Griffiths said learners vandalised the school premises, arrived late at school and were lazy to work.

Last week, computers were stolen from Prosperitas High School.

Minister Radebe assured both schools that he had listened to the concerns they had raised and he would be speaking to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga about the challenges the schools faced.

“I am also going to talk to the Minister of Police and the security cluster that all those people who peddle drugs and destroy our children... the law must take its course…they do not belong to this community, they belong in jail,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za