Talk of the Town

PAHS teachers applaud matrics for excelling despite tough circumstan­ces

Pupils achieve 100% pass rate in nine subjects

- MARK CARRELS

Port Alfred High’s teachers, whose matric class of 2023 achieved a 100% pass rate for many of the subjects taught at the school, are thrilled with this brilliant accomplish­ment.

The matriculan­ts scored a 100% pass rate in the following nine subjects: business studies, consumer studies, mathematic­al literacy, life orientatio­n, geography, physical sciences, computers and technology, tourism and Afrikaans.

In addition, 23 distinctio­ns were obtained.

Many matriculan­ts who managed to successful­ly ace their exams, said they felt excited and overwhelme­d by the results because 2023 had been a “tough year”.

Many pupils were faced with tough challenges outside the classroom while having to complete their matric year.

Teachers also bore the weight of needing to ensure these pupils succeeded in their final year of schooling.

Maths literacy HoD, Grace Tyutyu, said she was ecstatic with her pupils’ 100% pass rate.

“There were times I doubted whether I could ever achieve a 100% pass, but it is amazing how the learners stuck to the task and with the help of the

teachers to pull off these exciting results.

“It is maths literacy of course, but it is a subject that is often taken for granted.

“There have been failures of course before this due to low grades, but it makes me very proud to know that we have come to the party in last year’s exams.

“The one big challenge as a maths literacy teacher is the language because the subject is strongly linked to language and

if you don’t like reading or have difficulty with the language, then it is a big challenge for the learners.”

Physical sciences HoD, Wellington Makoni, said the school’s support structure had played a pivotal role in the pupils’ success.

“It is difficult but at Port Alfred High we always strive to be a family school.

“We have a lot of problems; we’ve been robbed [of even better results] by pregnancie­s

and a lot of other social problems. But we make sure we support them [pupils] as much as we can.

“We actually become their parents away from home.

“I am feeling great about the 100% pass mark in my subject

if we compare other schools in other provinces, we are up there with them and it’s not easy to stay there.

“It’s about encouragin­g learners, keeping them going, but overall it was a great performanc­e by them because Paper II was very difficult,” Makoni said.

He and Tyutyu made it clear, however, that the hard work continues for them now that the class of 2023 have taken leave of the school.

“Now we start all over again. “However, the success sets it up for the new school year and we feel excited and we are moving forward with much more vigour as we prepare for the class of 2024,” Tyutyu said.

Makoni said: “Only two learners got below 50% in physics, though the average pass was 80%, so we can say it was a quality 100% pass.

“And we hope for 100% again at the end of this year as it builds up confidence for the years that follow.”

Life orientatio­n teacher Richard Herrington said his subject touched on the real issues that occurred outside the classroom.

“We sometimes see children break down in class and it’s not always easy.

“I sometimes get home and I am broken myself when I see what the children have to go through.

“But for me it’s just about constantly being positive and providing positive reinforcem­ent throughout the year just to keep saying to them ,‘yes, you can do it you can do it’.

“Life orientatio­n can be emotionall­y taxing and I can recall by the end of last year I was emotionall­y drained but it was good and they came through fantastica­lly.

“There were 10 distinctio­ns and I wasn’t expecting that.”

Herrington had a message for the matriculan­ts as they embark on their new journey beyond school.

“Be who you are. You change the way you handle things but don’t change who you are.

“It is important to stay grounded in who you are.”

Makoni’s advice was: “I know the world out there is more challengin­g but adopt the same approach to your tertiary studies as was the case at Port Alfred High.

“Just stay discipline­d, discipline at tertiary level is no less required than what it was here [at PAHS].

Tyutyu said: “History has now shown it can be done and the learners must know that success can be achieved wherever they are.”

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 ?? Picture: MARK CARRELS ?? TOP PERFORMANC­E: Celebratin­g the amazing achievemen­t of Port Alfred High School’s 2023 matric class are, from left, proud headmaster Nigel Adams, maths literacy HoD Grace Tyutyu, the school’s top two matriculan­ts, Alyson van der Merwe and Lathitha Gobane, physical sciences HoD Wellington Makoni and Life orientatio­n teacher Richard Herrington.
Picture: MARK CARRELS TOP PERFORMANC­E: Celebratin­g the amazing achievemen­t of Port Alfred High School’s 2023 matric class are, from left, proud headmaster Nigel Adams, maths literacy HoD Grace Tyutyu, the school’s top two matriculan­ts, Alyson van der Merwe and Lathitha Gobane, physical sciences HoD Wellington Makoni and Life orientatio­n teacher Richard Herrington.
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