The Gauteng Department of Education’s schools improvement strategy is paying off, with a large number of the province’s top-performing pupils coming from township schools.
Several pupils from these schools were yesterday honoured by the department for getting multiple distinctions in key subjects such as maths and science.
MEC Barbara Creecy put a large part of the province’s success down to the Secondary School Improvement Programme, which provided extra tuition to Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils in Gauteng.
The department identified and targeted 276 schools with a matric pass rate below 70 percent in 2010. In 2011, schools that fell under 80 percent were also added, bringing the total number of priority schools to 331.
At the department’s prizegiving yesterday, Creecy revealed that 74 percent of these schools have sustained or improved their matric pass rate. “Out of the 331 schools, 91 performed above 80 percent and 241 performed above 60 percent,” she said.
Zitikeni Secondary School in Tembisa came out tops as the priority school with the most bachelor degree passes. Of the school’s 374 Grade 12s who wrote, 78 had bachelor degree passes. The most improved priority school was Setjhaba-Sohle Secondary in Sebokeng with a pass rate of 69.5 percent.
Jubilation rang through the hall of the Linder Auditorium in Parktown as the department celebrated an 81 percent pass rate. This was just one point less than the top-performing province, Western Cape, whose pass rate was 82 percent.
Creecy was especially pleased by this result, saying 80 percent had been the target they were aiming for by 2014, but the province reached the goal three years early.
For the first time in eight years, the pass rate had risen for a second consecutive year, Creecy said. “We have succeeded in breaking what I call the yo-yo pattern that has bedevilled our results since 2003.”
A total of 85 367 candidates wrote the Grade 12 exams in Gauteng last year; of those, 69 216 passed, with 30 073 qualifying for a bachelor’s degree. This is an increase from 33 percent to 35 percent of pupils who passed who achieved a university entrance pass.
The province also managed to achieve 33 989 distinctions. Of those, 1 457 were for maths and 1 492 for physical science.
Some of the top-performing pupils in traditionally difficult subjects like maths, physical science and economics also came from township schools. Three pupils – Erik Mubai, Abednogo Nyembe and Sakhile Radebe – scored 100 percent in maths. Ten others scored full marks in physical science and six had full marks in accounting.
Creecy was proud of the achievement of girl pupils, with 54 percent of all those who passed being female.
Nine out of 15 districts achieved more than 80 percent pass rates. The best-performing district was Gauteng North, followed by Ekurhuleni North.
It wasn’t all good news though, Johannesburg Central was named the worst-performing district, with a 68 percent pass.
Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and Creecy noted there would be a focus on Soweto schools this year.
Soweto was also where the worst-performing school in the province was situated. This dubious honour was given to Jabulani Technical School for the second year in a row.
Its pass rate went from 31,9 percent in 2010 to just 16 percent.
The province’s top school was Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria.
Creecy encouraged those who didn’t make it.
“I know today that there will be learners who right now, in the midst of all this celebration, are disappointed with their results. To you I have a special word of encouragement and advice. Firstly, know that this is not the end of the world.
“There are many successful people in the world who started their adult life by failing matric. What is important is not to give up. Never, never give up.”