“Your school is a living school: you are working hard.” Qhayiya Primary School in Bathurst underwent a top-to-toe assessment last week and that was some of the encouragement that staff and the SGB received. It was the last of four Ndlambe schools that has undergone this process during the past few weeks, and from the look of things they turned up trumps.
Mwelase Puza is a Deputy Chief Education Specialist in the province’s Department of Education. Leading the Whole School Evaluation (WSE) Unit, her task is to undertake these assessments across the province, and monitor special programmes designed for those that are flagging, called school improvement plans (SIPs).
In this latest round of WSEs, Alexandria Full Service School, Nompucuko Primary School, Velile Secondary School and Qhayiya were under the magnifying glass.
Qhayiya’s teachers and SGB members gathered in the staffroom last Friday to get the lowdown on what they were doing well, what needed some work, and what required a complete reboot.
Ndlambe Circuit Manager Ntomboxolo Ntanga had accompanied Puza on her Ndlambe circuit tour and both had sent the past four days at the school.
In her preliminary verbal reportback, Puza gave the school feedback in areas such as basic functionality (things like pupil and teacher attendance, punctuality, planning); record keeping; curriculum provision and resources; the school nutrition programme; and the state of the learning environment (classrooms). She compared data on pupils’ performance in various grades, in specific subjects, over the past three years. Maths and home language received special attention and Puza emphasised the importance of not only how many children passed, but the quality of those passes.
“We’re not bringing anything new,” Puza said. “We’re here to see if the department’s policies are being implemented, because functional schools lead to better learner performance.”
Principal Zukiswa Funde expressed gratitude to Ntanga, who she said was encouraging and supportive.
“Keep up the good work and action your school improvement plan,” Puza encouraged the Qhayiya team. “Your school is a living school – you’re working hard.”
Ntanga said that of the 28 state schools in the education department’s Ndlambe circuit, Qhayiya Primary School stood out for the strong teamwork among its school governing body, the principal, the senior management team, parents and other stakeholders.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, August 21, 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.
