Former pupils step up to help dire Thubelihle
New aim to go from 3% pass rate to 100%
DEEPLY disturbed by the abysmal 3.2% matric pass rate at their alma mater, a group of former Thubelihle High School pupils have stepped in to help turn the situation around.
In an attempt to save what was once a reputable school, about 12 former pupils – who matriculated as far back as 1996 – have committed to assisting the school obtain a 100% pass rate this year.
The group – comprising business people, politicians and poets – yesterday expressed their dissatisfaction and concern after the release of the results last week.
The class of 2016 saw only two out of 73 pupils pass their exams.
From extra lessons to career guidance and assistance with subject choices, the alumni have vowed to be actively involved until the school obtains the desired 100% pass rate.
Class of 1996 graduate Buqaqawuli Mrwetyana, 38, of KwaDwesi, said their assistance would include redesigning the school’s admissions policy.
“We have noticed a trend that the school is filled with pupils who were rejected and even expelled from schools like Newell and Cowan,” Mrwetyana said.
“What we want to say is that this is not a dumping area.
“Many of the issues troubling the school are not just teacherpupil issues.
“All the relevant stakeholders will have to be involved – the parents and the community at large will have to be consulted throughout the process.”
The group also expressed their concern at the lack of infrastructure at the school, specifically fencing and sports facilities.
Odwa Duru, 42, of Kwazakhele, also from the class of 1996, said the group had had a 2½-hour meeting with the principal and school governing body to thrash out the problems.
They had been formulating a plan of action before the school opens today.
“A range of problems have been highlighted by the principal and his staff,” Duru said.
“However, we have seen that [the school] is not a place where a child can learn.
“We found a pigsty here.
“We have also noticed the use of drugs on the school premises have been a contributing factor.”
When The Herald visited the school yesterday, many classrooms were without doors and windows, making it a soft target for vandals.
The school has seen a 29.4% decline in the pass rate since 2014.
Thubelihle principal Mandla Toba said the school’s poor performance had given him sleepless nights.
Toba attributed the 3.2% pass rate to a lack of commitment and cooperation from both pupils and teachers, as well as to progressed pupils – those who have failed Grade 11 more than twice but are promoted to matric.
“Out of a class of 73 only 16 pupils were not progressed learners,” Toba said.
“We are faced with a predicament where we have the majority of the class not equipped to be in matric writing the exam.”
Toba denied pupils’ claims that teachers skipped classes, leaving them unattended.
He said it was in fact the pupils who skipped class.