For many years, children in Mvezo village in the Eastern Cape - the birthplace of former President Nelson Mandela - have been forced to drop out of school after passing Grade 9. This is because the village did not have a high school and for those children who wanted to pursue education beyond Grade 9, it meant travelling to neighbouring towns such as Mthatha and Idutywa, which are situated far away from their homes. But the Mandela School of Science and Technology, which opened its doors in Mvezo earlier this year, is changing the lives of many of its pupils. It's the first comprehensive science high school in the entire rural Transkei that offers subjects like Engineering and Information Technology. Now, government believes more similar schools are needed in rural areas.
President Jacob Zuma, who unveiled a statue of Nelson Mandela's Grandfather Prince Mandela at the school recently, had nothing but praises for the school and its staff. President Zuma said government was serious about ensuring that all children in disadvantaged communities were exposed to science and technology at school.
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