Structured discipline, extra support and a daily meal paid off for a Kraaifontein school, where the matric pass rate soared from 67% in 2022 to 90,4% two years later.
For this extraordinary feat, Scottsdene Secondary School – in one of Kraaifontein’s most gang-stricken areas – was named the fourth-best Most Improved Public School at the Western Cape Matric Awards held at the Premier’s residence, Leeuwenhof, on Thursday.
These awards were issued to 10 public schools with more than 30 or more matric candidates who showed the greatest improvement in their pass rate over the period 2022 to 2024.
The criteria also included consistency in the number of Grade 12 candidates over the three-year period.
Hard work and dedication
Principal Peter Links was thrilled with the achievement, attributing his school’s success to the hard work and dedication of both learners and teachers. He highlighted the impact of the school’s intervention plans, along with the support from the education department’s Back on Track Programme, as key factors in reaching this remarkable milestone.
“As a start, strict disciplinary structures were essential to necessitate learners to adjust their attitudes toward learning.
“Extra classes became compulsory every afternoon after school, where the children first received a lunch before teaching commenced.
“In addition to this extra classes for the harder subjects such as mathematics and the sciences were taught on Saturdays.”
To motivate the matrics, performance-target posters were put up in every class to serve as a reminder of what they were aiming for, and the school’s doors were opened after hours during exam times to provide a safe space for children to study.
“Gradually their mindsets towards learning changed as the matrics became more motivated to excel despite their circumstances at home,” Links related. “They chose to come to school each day to study during exam times.
“As a principal I am proud of my matrics and teachers who sacrificed a lot of extra time. I have the world of respect for them.”
Achievements of Class of 2024
In his address at the awards ceremony, provincial education minister David Maynier thanked principals for leadership, courage and support as the department seeks to navigate the challenges facing the basic education sector as a whole, amid budget constraints.
“It is because of the challenges that we have faced over the past year, that the extraordinary achievements of our Class of 2024 are so much sweeter,” he said. “This matric class has really done something special, setting records for the National Senior Certificate exams in this province.”
Last year the province saw the highest matric pass rate ever for the Western Cape, at 86,6%; the highest bachelors pass rate ever for the Western Cape, at 47,8%; the top mathematics and physical science pass rate in the country; and the top candidate in the country for the 4th year in a row.
To the matrics he said: “We are so proud of what you have achieved. Your schools are so proud of what you have achieved. And your families are so proud of what you have achieved. You have proven that you are the best of the best, and there is no limit to what you can achieve.”
Going forward, said Maynier, the department has set some clear priorities for the next five years.
“We will focus on improving learning outcomes, in early learning, maths and science, and technical education as well as expanding access to education by opening new schools. We will focus on building public-private partnerships, mobilising private philanthropic and corporate investment in our education system and on evidence-based policy development, and improving our monitoring and evaluation capability.
“We will focus on mobilising sustainable, stable funding for education, and on leading education reform, bringing new models and ideas into the education sector. This will not be easy, given the challenges we face,” said Maynier.
