Hard work pays off for township matrics

Teamwork, sacrifice and dedication.

Those were the key factors which principals at township schools in the Bay said had led to increased matric pass rates.

Pupils from schools in Motherwell, New Brighton and KwaNobuhle gathered eagerly on Wednesday morning to fetch their reports and bid their schools farewell.

Most schools performed fairly well in the 2019 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams with schools such as Coselelani Senior Secondary in Motherwell receiving a 100% pass rate, Tinarha High in KwaNobuhle 91.7%, and iThembelihle Comprehensive in New Brighton 92.8%.

Zintle Mboleka of Cowan High School, said she was ecstatic to find out she had received three distinctions — for life science, isiXhosa home language and life orientation.

“I can’t explain how I feel right now, but I am very proud of myself,” she said.

“I have come a very long way and I am very proud of my classmates for also doing well.

“I applied to study medicine at the University of Johannesburg. They are yet to respond, but I have already secured funding for my studies,” she said.

Principal Trevor Dolley said that although 2019 had been very challenging, the school had  recorded its highest ever bachelor pass.

“We enrolled 155 matriculants, of whom 108 wrote.

“We received 38 bachelors, 37 diplomas and 21 higher certificates — giving us a total of 96 achieved and 12 not achieved,” he said, adding that the school had received an 89% pass rate, a good increase from its 2018 rate of 67.4%.

Dolley said the aim now was to maintain the standard, adding that this meant a solid foundation must be set from grade 8.

“We  will start monitoring our pupils from grade 8 and 9 and introduce diagnostic tests to evaluate their capabilities.

From there we will know where to focus on working towards grade 10,” Dolley said, adding that he wanted to produce pupils that were savvy entrepreneurs.

Another school that did well in New Brighton was Newell High, with a pass rate of 84.6%, an increase from its 2018 pass rate of 53.2%.

Principal Zamuxolo Mapakati said he was pleased with the improved pass rate and attributed it to the commitment of both the teachers and the pupils — with the support of parents.

“The pupils took their studies very seriously and showed great discipline,” Mapakati said.

“Number two, the commitment of the parents to be able to send their children to study camps, that has contributed immensely to the pupils quality performance.”

Mapakati said the quality of the education was evident in the pupils’ performance, with the school receiving eight distinctions in subjects such as accounting, business studies, history and languages.

“We also attained a number of bachelor [passes] from pupils we least expected and for that I take my hat off to both the teachers and the pupils for the work they have done,” he said.

But while most schools were buzzing with laughter and song, there was no celebratory mood at Sophakama High School in New Brighton.

At 11.45am, when The Herald visited the school, there were no pupils in sight and only three teachers in the staff room.

Sophakama received a 48.3% pass rate, a massive drop from its 2018 pass rate of 73.3%.

In 2018, the department of education merged Sophakama with Thamsanqa High after   poor enrolment at Thamsanqa and low academic performance.

On the other side of the metro, Molly Blackburn teachers hailed pupil Lukhanyo Kula as a beacon of hope for the school.

The KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, school managed to improve its matric pass rate from 58.5% in 2018 to 70.6% in 2019.

Teacher and Lukhanyo’s mentor Nolubabalo Ngcethe said he had shown his potential in grade 10.

“Lukhanyo received five distinctions,” she said.

“We are really proud of his performance. When it comes to prize-giving Lukhanyo scoops most of the awards — for the subjects he received distinctions for.

“Teachers refer to him as Steve Biko because of his nature — he is very philosophical and helpful,” Ngcethe said, adding that they knew he would continue to excel in life.