It was a stressful week for Vosloorus Comprehensive Secondary School principal Jabulani Mnisi and his teachers when Monday passed without a phone call from the Department of
Basic Education or excited parents informing him they had been invited to meet the Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
“I’ve gotten used to being part of the excitement of the announcement of the top performers,” said Mnisi, who has been with the school, situated on the East Rand, since 2012.
“My teachers have been asking me ‘have I heard anything’,” he told Sunday World on Wednesday ahead of the release of the matric results.
Last year, one of his pupils, Abongile Nkonjane, scooped second place for technical maths in the Quintile 2 schools category. Nkonjane’s schoolmate, Shoshone Ngumla, scored 100% in maths and physical science.
Mnisi, who joined the school as a deputy principal and physical science teacher, said the school had been striving for the top spot since 2014.
“We have been having national representation since 2014. We missed 2015, 2016 and 2017 but wecame back in 2018, 2019 and 2021,” he said.
“We have scooped accolades in physical science, maths and history and a majority of our top performers were boys,” said Mnisi, disappointed that even at provincial level it has been a dry season.
“We have 90% new teachers who started in 2022 because most of our teachers went on pension. The 10% that are left will be out of the system in two to three years,” he said, adding they were in the process of rebuilding and ushering in a new era.
“The school has also grown from an intake of 1 200 to 1 800, making it impossible for me to still be able to be in the classroom teaching my favourite subject physical science,” said the 47-year-old Mnisi, who is a specialist teacher. The school had set a pass rate of 95% and they achieved 76.19%.
“We will come back strong,” he said.
Meanwhile, Eureka High School, which was named the worst-performing school in Gauteng in 2021, is turning a new leaf with an 81.1% pass rate, an increase from 67.4% in 2021 and 55.1% in 2020.
“Through hard work from staff and learners, Eureka managed to produce eight distinctions,” said caretaker principal Michael Masilela.
Gangsterism, pupils peddling drugs, substance abuse, absenteeism, late coming, weak leadership, unaccountable teachers,illegal and unethical behaviour from school staff, a dysfunctional school governing body, and unsupportive parents were some of the shocking problems identified as being a hindrance to education at the suburban school in the town of Springs in Ekurhuleni.
The school was placed under administration in 2021.
“Through commitment, dedication and discipline, Eureka is reclaiming its dignity,” said Masilela, adding that 27.9% of the pupils achieved a bachelor’s pass, diploma (46.51% and higher certificate (25.58%).
The national matric pass rate is up 3.7% to 80.1% from 76.4% in 2021.
All nine provinces have also recorded improvements in performance with no province achieving a pass rate below 70%.
Free State maintained its top spot as number one in the country, followed by Gauteng, while KwaZulu-Natal recorded the best improvement of any province at 83% (representing an increase of 6.2% from 2021), followed by Limpopo (up with by 5.3% to 72.1%) and Eastern Cape with an achievement of 77.3%, up by 4.2% from 2021.
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