Award for Mbilwi’s principal

Mr Cedric Lidzhade, principal of the high-riding Mbilwi Secondary School, which has consistently produced good quality results over the years, recently scooped the first ever Best Principal Award during the Grade 12 matric excamination results announcement by Education MEC Ishmael Ketjepe in Polokwane.

Lidzhade says the award has boosted him and it will motivate him to work even more harder. 

His is a long journey that started when he enrolled at Mbilwi. He worked there as an educator, HOD, and deputy principal. He finally became principal at the same school. The school has a teaching staff of 74, eight HODs and two deputy principals.

Unpacking his secret as a successful principal, Lidzhade said Mbilwi was a complex school that needed someone who was familiar with the culture of the school, which in his case worked to his advantage. "I became principal of the school in 2010 and we maintained the 100% pass rate all along, except for last year. There is no hidden secret to our success story but one thing: hard work always yields positive outcomes."

He applauded the staff members for their dedication and said that the interests of the learners were important to them. He said that the school started with teaching and learning on the first day. According to him, they also enjoy the support of their SGB and the senior traditional leader, Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli, who is very passionate about education.

"We cannot underestimate the power of prayer. We pray every morning before starting our work programme and we also have pastors who come and pray for us. God should be number one in whatever we do, and we believe that He is the one who is making us succeed and be a school of excellence," he said.

Date:22 January 2017

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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