The Head of Communications for Ntabankulu Local Municipality, Lungisile Mzanywa, has confirmed that the municipality will host the Miss Ntabankulu High Schools 2024 at the MPC Hall in Ntabankulu on November 23.
According to Mzanywa, all 12 senior secondary schools within the municipality will participate in the event. He explained that a situational analysis revealed that many people in the area lack essential skills, and there is a high rate of school dropouts.
“The leadership of this municipality has taken the initiative to support education in the area to help keep children in school until they complete their studies. Our support begins with Early Childhood Development (ECD), where we build at least two or three preschools per financial year,” Mzanywa said.
He added that they also host Achievers’ Awards to encourage learners to excel academically.
“Now, we will be hosting Miss Ntabankulu High Schools 2024 to entertain and empower these young learners. We want them to know there is no need to seek entertainment elsewhere.
“This event is also aimed at empowering girls as part of our efforts to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and femicide,” he explained.
According to Mzanywa, they aim to build confidence in girls, as GBV disproportionately affects women.
“While boys are not included in this programme, we are planning separate programmes to equip them with life skills. I can confirm that Miss Ntabankulu High Schools will become an annual event. We have a specific selection process: we distribute forms to schools, and parents must provide consent if they want their children to participate. We then conduct auditions to select the finalists,” Mzanywa concluded.
