Tate Makgoe, The MEC of education in the Free State led with passion, was a pillar of the community and a driver for progress
In 2009, the late Dr Pule Herbert Isak Makgoe, affectionately known at Tate, was appointed the MEC of education in the Free State. Baffled at first as to why he was appointed to the education portfolio, because he had no experience as a teacher and had qualifications in civil engineering and finance, he soon found out he was appointed for his love for maths and science.
He took on the task but little did he know that the education portfolio would be where he poured his heart and soul for more than 12 years.
In the last decade or so of his life, Tate loved and lived for the learners in the Free State. He believed in the untapped potential of every learner and he was determined to ensure that his belief and actions would awaken the learners’ self-belief and confidence.
Tate wanted the learners to know and live out from a place of possibility and supported it with action through the numerous initiatives and bursaries for tertiary studies. He always mentioned that part of his vision was to ensure that a child who obtained education from the public education system in the Free State would feel and know that the teaching and learning was quality enough and equitable to former model C and private schools.
He also had a clear grasp on the myriad challenges that faced the country and the education sector as a whole, which he faced with vision, courage, humility and a strong team. He developed a strategy to transform the state of education in the Free State. One of the key focus areas was improving learner performance in maths, physical sciences and the quality of the general pass rate for the National Senior Certificate.
In this endeavour, Tate believed that to reach his objectives, of being “simply the best” he needed the collaboration of expertise, resources and innovation of the right partners. Hence he supported Rand for Rand, the public-private partnership between Investec and the education department, with Kutlwanong centre for maths, science and technology being the implementing partner in a programme called Promaths.
The objective of the partnership was to enable the QwaQwa district to improve their grade 12 maths and science results to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related fields. Why QwaQwa? He said, “I chose QwaQwa because it is a rural area, presidential nodal point, most poverty-stricken area, and I know education can decisively deal with poverty.”
The partnership initially started in QwaQwa in 2011 with 150 grade 10 and 150 grade 11 learners in 2010 and has grown to 600 learners across grades 10, 11 and 12. In 2014, the programme was extended to the Parys, Kroonstad and Botshabelo areas in partnership with Bank Seta.
In 2019, Tate approached Harmony Gold Mining Company to partner with the Free State department of education in supporting Lejweleputswa District. In 2021, he invited Foodbev Seta to partner in supporting learners in Botshabelo. Before his untimely death, plans were in progress to increase the number of beneficiaries of the programme in Botshabelo and QwaQwa in partnership with the Telkom Foundation and exploring new funding partners for the Fezile Dabi and Xhariep districts.
The MEC supported this programme because it is multifaceted and addresses multiple learner outcome challenges in one programme. Tate was driven to change the culture and ecosystem of education in the Free State. Through his courageous leadership, wisdom, charisma, dedication and presence, he garnered and encouraged every single person that surrounds the learner to speak one language of support for the learner’s success.
As Kutlwanong, we would host parent meetings, ensure teacher development and host well-done quarterly dinners and awards for the learners. Tate would ensure he is in attendance to these to ensure he articulated and reiterated the vision. Hence the promaths programme also supported his strategy of building a capacitated and knowledgeable ecosystem around the learner.
His decision to forge a partnership between government and business has resulted in learners accessing careers in STEM. Today the region of Free State and the country at large enjoy the services of medical doctors, engineers, accountants, actuaries and others that qualified within record time because of the investment made during their prime time at the high school level.
I recall the first time the MEC came to a well-done dinner for about 20 grade 12 learners from Qwaqwa in 2011. He was invited together with the relevant district heads and officials. Once the formalities were done and we were all eating, we saw Tate sitting at each table to chat to the learners. We later realised he was asking them about their readiness for the exams. One learner said their teacher had left and the class still needed to complete the syllabus. The MEC spoke to the district official in charge of that subject matter, understood the issue and required a solution for implementation that following Monday.
The MEC led with knowledge and presence. There wasn’t a school in the Free State that you would mention to the MEC that did not know and was unable to quote what was happening at that school, its results, its challenges, what the solutions in place were and who was responsible.
MEC Tate Makgoe, yes, will be remembered for his character and the great matric results he and his team contributed to. I believe he will mainly be remembered and cherished by the lives of the thousands of learners he spoke to; he listened to, supported, and created a teaching and learning environment that awakened the giants within. Seeing those thousands of learners become their best despite their background circumstances will always make him proud.
He has led with passion, was a pillar of the community and a driver for progress for the more than 10 000 learners who have gone through the programme. MEC Tate Makgoe lived to contribute to the people of this country who believed in great possibilities with the right partnerships. He was led by vision, not by circumstances. All will miss his excellence of service and leadership, courage, wisdom, self-awareness, humility, kindness, vision and sense of humour. As Kutlwanong, we are grateful that we had the honour and privilege of serving him and serving with him. He ran his race and; he ran it well. Robola ka kgotso MEC Tate Makgoe, what an honour to have met you.
Tumelo Mabitsela is the chief executive of Kutlwanong Centre for Maths, Science and Technology
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.