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School does matric turn-around
22/01/2006 20:55 - (SA)
Themba Gadebe
Johannesburg - In a miraculous twist, an independent Gauteng school that had earned itself the title of worst-performance in the 2004 matric results has risen against all odds.
From a meagre 8.2% matric pass rate in 2004, Qoqa Secondary School has risen to obtain a 60.75% rate in last year's matric results.
The school had enrolled 33 pupils for matric.
Acting principal Mcebekhulu Mondli said: "This is just the beginning of grater things to come. We are aiming to achieve 100% this year."
About 48 pupils will be sitting for this year's matric examinations at the school.
Asked how they had managed to get such an increase in their pass rate, Mondli said that after the widely publicised failure of 2004 they had "never had a day off".
"All teachers and learners showed a high level of commitment. We were teaching on Sundays and holidays to ensure that history did not repeat itself," he said.
'We were mocked everywhere'
The school's worst performance attracted media attention across the country and the Gauteng education department visited the school's management and the governing body to find out what the problems were.
Mondli said: "At the time when the media spotlight was on us, people mocked us everywhere, saying we were failing their children and that we were bad teachers."
Regarding the new national curriculum statement, MOndli said the school was ready and had bought learning-support materials.
The new curriculum was introduced this year for Grades 10-12.
However, the provincial education department has planned to convert the school into a public one. - BuaNews
- News24
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