Top achievers celebrate
THE NORTHERN Cape Class of 2016’s top achievers from across the five school districts celebrated their results yesterday at the Taberna Dei (Tabernacle) in Kimberley along with their respective principals and family members.
The Frances Baard municipal district excelled this year with a matric pass rate of 78 percent, an improvement from last year’s pass rate of 68 percent. The top three performing schools in the district were Diamantveld High School (DHS) followed by Kimberley Girls’ High School (GHS) and Adamantia High School. DHS and GHS were also among the top schools in the Province.
GHS was the top performing school in both Mathematics and Physical Sciences, which was based on the overall increase in the pass rate and the increase in the number of learners who participated in and completed the respective subjects.
Rietvale High School achieved the award for the most improved school in the Province, going from a 35 percent pass rate in 2015 to 94 percent in 2016.
Sixty-four of the school’s 68 matric learners successfully completed their schooling last year, resulting in smiles from headmaster Leon Schoeman, who said that the year of hard work had certainly paid dividends.
“It feels absolutely great to be the Northern Cape’s most improved school and it took plenty of hard work and commitment from all involved, for us to have claimed this achievement,” Schoeman said at the achiever awards.
“What really made all the difference was a class of Grade 12s who truly wanted to work and who took advantage of the opportunities presented to them.
“From day one, our 68 candidates made it clear that they wanted to give of their best. Because of this attitude we were confident that there would be an improvement on the 2015 results. We were expecting a pass rate somewhere in the 70s so when we learned that more than 90 percent had completed their schooling, we were absolutely over the moon.”
Mike Matthews, the headmaster of GHS, was delighted with the performance of his 123 learners in his first year as principal of the school.
“As the principal of GHS, I am extremely proud of the learners and this is a good reflection on the school and the quality of education.
“The most important aspect is that the school has a very good structure in place. The parents are involved in their children’s education, as well as the School Governing Body (SGB).
“The administrative and academic staff worked hard this year to ensure a successful academic year.”
Matthews hopes to keep up the excellent results in the years to come.
“We have achieved a 100 percent pass rate for the past seven years and it is all thanks to the hard work and dedication of both the learners and the staff.”
Emeleo Duister from Northern Cape High School (NCH) was left speechless when the results were read out and he realised that he was the top achiever in the Province.
“It was amazing hearing my name being called out as top achiever,” he said. “It has always been my dream to make it into the top 20 in the Province, since Grade 10. I began narrowing my goal down to the top 10 and eventually top five as I progressed in my school career but I did not expect to be number one.”