SUE MACLENNAN, SIBULELE MTONGANA, MARK CARRELS & LITHABO MATIWANA
Kuyasa Combined School continues to be the pride of Ndlambe, with a return to a 100% pass rate for its 2024 matric cohort. Kuyasa and Bathurst’s Velile Secondary School boasted matriculants in the province’s top achiever awards. All eight state schools in Ndlambe and one independent school writing the 2024 National Senior Certificate exams have done the area proud. All cite the support of the education department, parents, the University of the Western Cape’s Local Government SETA science and maths support programme, Ndlambe Municipality, their hard-working teachers and the 2024 matrics themselves in their strategy for success or improvement. Talk of the Town’s reporters captured the matric results excitement after the results were released on Tuesday January 14, 2025.
Alexandria High results climb again
Putting systems in place has been the key to Alexandria High School’s slow but steady road to improvement. Principal Eleanor Taai says they’re committed to keeping the school on an upward trajectory. From a disastrous 33% matric 2022 pass rate, the school has steadily regained its foothold, Improving to 54% in 2023. The Alexandria High School class of 2024 achieved a 65% pass rate.
Among the 43 matrics who wrote in 2024, the pass rate for English home language, English first additional language, Afrikaans first additional language, life orientation and Physical science was 100%, however.
Taai, who started at the school one year ago, said her first task had been to fix the systems in the school.
“We’ve improved general discipline, taken steps to ensure children attend class and clamped down on late-coming,” she said.
It’s a big school with 675 pupils in 2025.
With energised and committed teachers, the gaps left by the two teachers they have lost (one of them a science teacher) have been covered and absorbed by the remaining staff.
“Despite PPN [post provisioning norms – the factors the department uses to determine how many teachers a school gets] not favouring us, we will have a teacher in front of every learner.”
There will be a lot of pressure on the school’s staff, with all hands to the deck as heads of department and the principal herself take on teaching loads.
“We are trying our best to make it work.”
Like other Ndlambe schools, Taai is grateful for the support they receive from parents, Ndlambe Municiipality, the University of the Wstern Cape Local Government SETA programme that supports maths and science teaching. She’s grateful to the school’s staff for their commitment.
“They give up their personal time to teach our learners at Saturday classes, holiday classes. They make great sacrifices to make sure our learners are equipped for exams.”
Taai made special mention of the education department’s circuit manager Ntomboxolo Ntanga.
“She is always available to offer hands-on support,” Taai said. “Whether it’s challenges with infrastructure, or the curriculum, she doesn’t hesitate to step in and assist.”
On Tuesday, pupils had already been to the school to collect stationery, textbook and their timetables.
“That means on Wednesday it’s full-on school from Period 1.”
Ikamvalesizwe soars to new heights
Ikamvalesizwe Combined School has made headlines with its impressive 98% matric 2024 pass rate – an 11% jump from their 2023 results. And principal Gillbert Gqamane couldn’t be prouder. “I was aiming for 100% but anything over 80% is outstanding,” he said. “The learners, educators and everyone else in the school worked incredibly hard.”
The school’s strategy for success included extra lessons, giving students additional support.
Top achiever, Zandile Plaatjie, attained a Bachelor’s pass with 5 distinctions. “I plan to attend University and study towards a Bachelor of Accounting,” she told Talk of the Town.
Vuyiswa Zinganto, one of the school’s top performing teachers, said her strategy for supporting underperforming students involved grouping them with their more successful peers. “Learners tend to understand and relate to each other more than they do to teachers,” she said.
The community came to the party, too, postponing certain events until after the exams, so students could focus on their studies.
Nompucuko defies the odds
Despite numerous challenges, Nompucuko Combined School has achieved an impressive 93.1% pass rate in the 2024 Matric results – testament to the dedication and perseverance of its students, teachers, and principal.
Principal Xolani Davani attributed the school’s success to its innovative approach to exam preparation. “We organized camps at the school, where learners would sleep over and focus on their studies. I would personally go and fetch students who didn’t pitch up, to ensure they didn’t miss out on this valuable opportunity.”
The school’s strategy involved identifying weaknesses and creating a plan to overcome them. “Our learners were determined to succeed, and we supported them every step of the way.”
The school performed exceptionally well in History, Life Sciences, and Maths Lit, with newly appointed teacher achieving two level 7’s in Maths Lit. Nosipho Kilane, the most performing teacher and HOD of EFT, attributed her success to her passion for teaching. “I love teaching English and History, and I’m thrilled that both subjects achieved high pass rates.”
Kilane’s advice to young teachers looking to achieve similar success is to commit themselves to their work, spend more time on planning and preparation, and stay focused on their goals.
Top achiever Khazamla Mafilika attained a Bachelor’s pass with 5 distinctions. “I wasn’t expecting these results, but I trusted myself and the process,” she said. Mafilika plans to study medicine and was motivated to work hard knowing that she needed excellent marks to pursue her dream.
Return to full marks for Kuyasa
Kuyasa Combined School celebrates their 100% pass rate in the 2024 Matric exams
Deputy Principal Sylvain Yankwa was beaming with pride. “This is a miracle year,” he said. “We had 119 Matric learners, and all of them passed. I am overjoyed.”
So, what’s behind Kuyasa’s success? Matric students start their academic year a week before the official opening of schools, and evening classes are held every day from 6 pm to 10 pm.
“We had eight learners who were struggling, but they have now improved drastically. The school was standing at 95.6% pass rate during the trial exams, and we’ve finished with 100%.”
Yonwabani Dyani, the school’s top achiever, with six distinctions, earned recognition as the top HDI learner in the Sarah Baartman district.
“I am the eldest of three siblings, and we depend on social grants for a living,” she shared. “But my home situation has pushed me to work hard. I want to study law and become a judge one day, so I can return women’s dignity and fight for their rights, growing up I have seen women in my environment fallen victim many times to Gender based violence.”
Kuyasa Combined School’s success is not just about academic achievement. Yankwa said teachers took the trouble to understand the personal lives of their students, including their home situations.
“We have a mentoring programme where a teacher takes a student under their guidance,” he said. “Some teachers even visit students homes to understand their living situation and speak to parents.”
Nomzamo celebrates dramatic improvement
The Matric class of 2024 at Nomzamo Senior Secondary School has achieved a remarkable 86.4% pass rate, a significant improvement from the 67% pass rate of the previous year. Principal Andile Mdana is overjoyed saying, “It feels like the weight of Table Mountain has been lifted off my shoulders. Happy is an understatement, I am extremely happy and proud of the Matric class.”
The dramatic improvement in results can be attributed to the dedication and hard work of the teachers, who went above and beyond to ensure their students’ success. Mdana praised the teachers, saying, “They taught tirelessly, even on weekends, and during school holidays, we had an incubation study program where students lived in the school, and teachers taught all day.”
The school’s governing body (SGB) also played a crucial role in supporting the students. “I cannot thank the SGB enough. They went out of their way to make sure students attended classes and urged parents to be more hands-on when it came to their children’s education,” said Mdana.
Out of 59 students who wrote their final exams, only eight failed. However, the school is committed to supporting these students, offering them the opportunity to rewrite supplementary exams and providing education materials and opening space for them to attend classes with the 2025 Matrics
Mdana is already looking to the future, planning to refine and strengthen the school’s study programs.
“We cannot go back to our past, we need to keep the momentum going. We will focus on extra lessons for struggling students and continue to support our students in any way we can,” Mdana said.
“Many of our students stayed after school to study, avoiding going home because of their home situations or abuse. We noticed this and would leave some classrooms open for them. We would also keep some food aside from our nutrient break for them to eat while studying after school. We tried our best to ensure no outside noise hindered the performance of our students.”
Bathurst celebrates its matrics
With a 94.9% pass rate, and their top matriculant in the provincial matric achiever awards, Velile Secondary School in Bathurst was the toast of the town on Tuesday when the National Senior Certificate results for 2024 were released. Young and old joined an exuberant march and motorcade through Nolukhanyo’s streets to celebrate their children’s success.
The story behind the school’s radical shift from 2023’s 74.1% pass rate to an impressive 94.9% for the matric class of 2024 was a familiar one across Ndlambe’s seven public high schools.
“Hard work, teachers teaching in their classrooms, extra classes,” said principal of the Freestone, Bathurst school, Wanga Ntantiso. “And the UWC support programme made a huge difference.”
He was referring to the University of Western Cape Local Government Sector Training Authority (UWC-LGSETA) schools project that provides extra academic support to high school learners in Ndlambe. The project focuses on maths and science.
Celebrating, too, were teachers from nearby Qhayiya Primary School.
“These are our children,” they said. “Before they were at Velile, we taught them here at Qhayiya.”
The school’s top matriculant is Anathi Maneli, who is the Sarah Baartman (SB) second-highest achiever among the district’s historically disadvantaged (HDI) schools. The SB education district includes all the public schools in the Graaff-Reinet and Humansdorp Department of Education clusters. Ndlambe schools fall under the Makhanda Cluster Management Centre (CMC), which includes all public schools in the Makana municipal area.
Anathi, who has a career in engineering in her sights, achieved distinctions in all seven of her subjects.
A total of 56 Velile Secondary School students wrote matric in 2024. The matric class of 2025 is 53-strong. This year, the total number, from Grade 8 to Grade 12 is 700, Ntantiso said.
Ukhanyo shines
Quality, not quantity is what Ukhanyo Secondary School in Alexandria was celebrating, with more than double the number of bachelor passes achieved in 2023. The Nonqubelo school’s overall matric pass rate dropped by 7% from 91.3% in 2023 to 84.5% in 2024. However, from 12 bachelor passes in Matric 2023, the class of 2024 achieved 25 Bachelor and 27 Diploma passes.
“If our parents had not been so supportive, we would not be talking about this,” principal Mthuthuzeli Jonas told Talk of the Town. “Our teachers taught; our students came to class when they were supposed to and completed their homework and assignments. There was all-round dedication and commitment.”
Jonas also credited the support of state and NGO stakeholders for their students’ success.
“The Department of Education curriculum interventions, financial support from Ndlambe Municipality for our extra classes and camps, [Ward 1] councillor Asanda Nyumka for first-hand teaching support, the local ANC branch under Karawi Dike, the police for regular patrols during our holiday camps and the clinic for assisting when our learners need medical attention during our camps. Those are just some of the many people to whom we owe our gratyitude,” Jonas said.
Enrolment at Ukhanyo is growing exponentially, Jonas said.
“Parents want their children to come here because of our good results. We even have children from Gqeberha sent here for school,” he said.
It was a matter of pride for the school that many of their former learners were now studying at university.
In response to TOTT’s question, Jonas said the closure of the chicory factory had had a noticeable impact on the local economy.
“Many parents lost their employment when that factory closed,” he said. “We mnotice because now they are struggling to pay for school necessities. And when it comes to the matric camps, they ask to pay in instalments.”
Jonas said the school had what they needed for the start of the school year.
“We know what was lacking in terms of those who didn’t make it in 2024: it was not because they lacked potential, but because they fell short on self discipline and taking responsibility.
“That’s where we need to help students more.”
Teachers paved way for matric success, says Adams
Port Alfred High School principal Nigel Adams put teachers at the centre of the success of the matric class of 2024 when the school celebrated a 95.5% pass rate at a special gathering at their hall on Tuesday.
“We are delighted to report that 63 out of 66 learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate examinations achieved a pass, representing a remarkable 95.5% pass rate,” Adams said to the audience’s applause.
Highlights of the results include 48 learners who attained a bachelor’s pass (76%). Fourteen achieved a diploma pass and one learner obtained a higher certificate pass.
The top three PAHS achievers for 2024 are: Kendra Shuman – average 83% with five distinctions; Shanalea Delport who averaged 76% and Mikayla Baldo who achieved a 73% average.
“The foundation of our education system is our teachers and I speak for our whole country …that is very important for us all to know .. it is very important for our political leaders to know it … and we need to realise this if we want to continue seeing the wonderful results for the Ndlambe district as we have seen this year. The district has produced magnificent results and I am very excited. It shows that we are on the right track,”said Adams.
Adams was high in his praise for the education department’s “intervention programmes” last year that saw Port Alfred High “finally included” for the first time to improve marks in most subjects. The venues were spread between PA High, Nomzamo and Nompucuko High.
“We fought for this inclusion and I want to thank the Ndlambe Municipality because they were proactive roleplayers in supporting the intervention programmes in the Ndlambe circuit. I want to say thank you to the mayor (Khululwa Ncamiso) and the municipal manager for their assistance.”
Adams said a huge thanks must go to the Local Government Seta-UWC intervention programme that saw maths and science learners from schools across the district from Grade 10, 11, and 12 attend winter and spring classes last year at various schools. “This was a dream of mine and Mr Makoni (science head) to have this programme introduced and it happened.”
Adams takes pride in the fact they had never during his five-year tenure dipped under 95.5% as far as the matric final results are concerned.
“Forty-eight out of 66 attaining bachelors passes … that speaks to the quality of our achievers. You can now go on to study your various degree programmes and that makes us very, very proud,” he told learners in the hall.
Adams had a special thanks for parents who he said play an important role in supporting the schooling of their children. The learners then popped some alcohol-free champagne provided by the school to celebrate their achievement with parents and friends.
Shuman and Delport said though the build-up to the results was filled with anxiety they were feeling “good” now that they finally have their certificates in their hands.
“It was a stressful wait,” said Shuman who will be going on to study in Pretoria. “The exams were quite hard but I managed five distinctions. I would like to thank my teachers and parents for all they’ve done,” she added.
Delport admitted she was nervous about the “next chapter”. “I am going to University of Pretoria to do a BSc in animal and agricultural science as I want to become a vet. The build-up to the results were very nerve-wracking and stressful because it determines which university you end up at.”
Twins Iyaviwa and Ayabukwa Sebe had huge smiles on their faces after receiving news of their bachelor passes.
“I am really happy, my marks were great,” said Iyaviwa. “I am going to do nursing or teaching .. if I choose nursing it’s because my two grannies were nurses and I want to make them proud.”
“It was really tough last year … the pressure is huge because everyone is really looking at how we are going to perform,” said Ayabukwa. “I am happy with my results and am going to study law and international relations at university.”
Full house for King’s School
The Kings School Port Alfred – formerly El Shaddai Christian Academy – celebrated a 100% pass rate with nine learners having written the examinations.
Of these nine learners 78% achieved bachelor passes.
Principal Rene Payne said 2024 being a difficult year for the school that saw some retrenchments and a name change for the school, she was immensely proud of the achievement.
“Our matric class of 2024 have done well, they have worked hard … we did not expect some of them to have done so well like they have. Each one has faced their own individual personal challenges and they have all come out on top. I trust their future going forward is going to be great,” said Payne.
“Staff here are incredible and, despite the hard year they have had, all stood strong and have given of their best; they have just been amazing and resilient.”
An emotional Sarah-Lee Samuel with tears streaming down her face, said 2024 had not been without its challenges.
“I am just so happy that I have passed. The waiting time is a bit stressful and a bit too long .. you stress and you can’t stop thinking about it. The biggest part for me was just to have faith in myself and that God would help me.
“I went through so much in prelims and finals so just crying today is more about ‘wow I have actually made it’ and a sense of relief. I think I did very well to get a bachelors pass – I will take a year to work and save up some money for university.”
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, Janury 16, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
