NEARLY 10 000 matriculants from 192 schools across the country received their Independent Examination Board 2014 National Senior Certificate results today with a pass rate of 98,38%.
This year saw an increase in the number of pupils that wrote the exam as well as an increase in tertiary entrance.
IEB chief executive officer Anne Oberholzer said: “There is a slight decrease [in the pass rate] but we are not panicking. We are very happy with the results, particularly with the increase in the entrance to university.”
Oberholzer said 85,45% of the pupils achieved entry to degree study and 11,56% qualified for entry to diploma study. A total of 1,37% achieved entry for study at the Higher Certificate level.
Hilton College’s Nicholas Loxton (18) made it onto the IEB Outstanding Achievement list. These are pupils who achieved within the top five percent of pupils in six or more subjects and scored 80% for Life Orientation.
Loxton, from Johannesburg, achieved nine As.
He is the brother of Chris Loxton, the Hilton College pupil who died while on a hiking trip in the Drakensberg in August last year.
He said his career choice was inspired by his late brother. “I am going to study medicine. I have always wanted to be a doctor but he [my brother] was always at the top of my mind,” he said.
Another remarkable story that emerged yesterday was that of bubbly Siphesihle Sokhela, whose dreams of becoming a doctor are close to coming true.
“When I was six years old, I would play dress up and I always wore a doctor’s outfit. I have always loved helping people,” said the 17-year-old from St Anne’s Diocesan College who got straight As.
Through hard work and determination Siphesihle received a bursary to study at the prestigious school in Hilton.
Her father, a principal at Bruntville Primary School, and her mother, a teacher at Shea O’Connor Combined School, are proud of Siphesihle, who has secured herself a place at University of Cape Town to study medicine next year.
“When I was in Grade 8, I got a bursary to study at St Anne’s and every year I made sure that I worked hard to remain on top,” she said.
Despite having Tourette syndrome, a rare disease that causes an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, Ian Sinclair from Grace College in Hilton was named one of the top pupils in his matric year.
“I am very excited about my future and the opportunity that awaits me,” said Sinclair, who will be following in his father’s footsteps by studying BCom Accounting.
Courtney Fagg (18) from St John’s Diocesan School for Girls said her parents had sacrificed a lot for her to be in the school. She has been accepted to study Actuarial Science at Stellenbosch next year. “My parents are proud of me and I am going to continue making them proud,” she said.
Samantha Shawe (18) from Treverton College is going to study Bachelor of Science in Biological Science. “She was hoping to be a doctor but she will try again midyear,” said her proud mother Donuil Shawe in Dundee.
Jessica Thibaud (17) from Epworth scored eight As. “I am going to study a degree in Human Life Sciences and Genetics in Stellenbosch next year,” she sad.
Robert Perrot (18) from Michaelhouse received nine As. Perrot comes from a long line of doctors and he is following suit.
“My great-grandfather and grandfather were both doctors. My grandmother is a physiotherapist, my cousin is an intern doctor and my father is a dentist,” he said.
Perrot said passing his matric was a great achievement. “It feels unreal, it feels good to see that hard work pays off.”
Kearsney College’s Patrick Zietkiewicz achieved seven distinctions. He attributed his success to a balanced lifestyle. The Durban North resident plans to study Actuarial Science at the University of Cape Town next year.
