It’s girl power for province’s top three matrics

THE TOP matriculants in the Western Cape have been announced and this time the top three spots went to girls – Nita Wiegman, Emma Whitelaw and Leandri Scholtz.

They attended Hermanus High, Springfield Convent of the Holy Rosary, and Hoërskool Tygerberg.

Wiegman, pictured, who flew up to Joburg last week to accept her award from Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, said she planned to study medicine at Stellenbosch University.

She said being the top pupil in the province filled her with pride not only for her achievement, but also for her school.

Scholtz said she was excited to be in the top three: “I was hoping to be in the top 20, I didn’t expect to be third. It feels very good and exciting.”

Scholtz said she was planning to study at Stellenbosch University to become a chartered accountant.

Whitelaw did not attend the func- tion at Leeuwenhof at which the prizes were handed out by premier Helen Zille, Education MEC Donald Grant and provincial education head Penny Vinjevold.

Other top achievers included four pupils who scored 100 percent for maths, including a pupil who said he wasn’t really surprised when he got his results.

Elrich Groenewald, who attended the Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosh, said: “I wasn’t really surprised, but I am glad I did well.”

Another matriculant who achieved 100 percent in maths is JC Schoeman, who went to Hoërskool Parel Vallei in Somerset West.

Schoeman also said his mark was not surprising to him.

“There was nothing that I wasn’t sure about, so I wasn’t stressing,” he said.

Schoeman, who plans to study electronic engineering at Stellenbosch University this year, said he was glad that he had also done well in his other favourite subject, physical science, for which he gained 98 percent.

Groenewald and Schoeman joined other top achievers in the province at yesterday’s awards ceremony.

The top school in the province was Herschel Girls’ School.

“There’s a culture of academic rigour at the school. The girls want to achieve,” said deputy head Lindi Clarke.

The school achieved a 100 percent pass rate, with all the girls passing well enough to enrol for a bachelor’s degree.

George High School received two awards, one for the greatest increase in the proportion of matrics earning passes that could gain them entry to bachelor’s degree passes, and the other for improvement in Afrikaans home language.

Principal Dr Lawrence Lottering said the school had very good teachers and had provided extra classes at weekends and during holidays.