Appreciation and thanks to the teachers who served our Class of 2020
I WOULD like to congratulate all our learners, principals, teachers and parents – who passed their National Senior Certificate exams or contributed towards this achievement.
While there was a lot of attention drawn to the disruptive elements of Covid-19 on our system, the results reflect that behind the scenes, our teachers were working hard to ensure that our learners achieved their best results. 213 schools improved their results from 2019, and we achieved our highest bachelor pass rate. I want to thank our principals and teachers for that achievement. I am most appreciative that during times of uncertainty, stress and fear, they rose to the challenge before them, supporting our matriculants right to the end.
We acknowledge the teachers who worked hours on end to prepare lessons, “reinventing” their teaching styles during hard lockdown to ensure that learners had access to resources and lessons, online and paper-based.
We acknowledge the principals and teachers who returned to schools with a clear purpose – to ensure quality continuous teaching, even in times of uncertainty and fear.
We acknowledge their resilience, fortitude and dedication.
I salute you all.
The results also reveal just how important the role of teachers is in encouraging, motivating and inspiring our children.
The same applies to our parents, who also played a crucial part in supporting their children throughout the year and encouraging them to Commit To Finish.
Thank you.
The retention rate in this province continues to improve each year, and we are delighted that our learners are opting to complete their matric.
International research indicates that children are more likely to drop out of school when there are extended school closures. However, a combined effort between principals, teachers and parents, as well as the tenacity and resilience of learners, overcame those odds.
In fact, our learners and teachers overcame many obstacles last year and we are extremely proud of them.
BRIAN SCHREUDER | Head of Department, Western Cape Education Department