Over 8000 independant school pupils from 168 schools across the country wrote examinations this year with 7848 candidates passing- thereby achieving a whopping 97.42% pass rate.
Over 8000 independant school pupils from 168 schools across the country wrote examinations this year with 7848 candidates passing- thereby achieving a whopping 97.42% pass rate.
All the learners from Grahamstown’s independant schools obtained pass rates that qualify them for tertiary study with 79.54% qualifying to study towards bachelor degrees. A further 15.27% of the cohort achieved entry for a diploma study while 2.61% qualified for study at higher certificate level.
All three of the Independant Education Board (IEB) schools in Grahamstown got 100% pass rates with Justin Swart and Kathryn Allan from St Andrew’s and The Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) were ranked in the IEB’s top 5%.
Talking to the Grocott’s Mail on Wednesday from his home Swart said, "I am very happy and it feels good, very good to achieve so much". He attributed the achievement to his "good genes" as he says both his parents are bright. "I can’t say I studied much because I was distracted (in a good way) most of the time by my girlfriend who was a head girl at DSG". He added that one has to "work hard and play hard so as to strike the balance and that’s exactly what I did."
The outspoken youth who hails from Johannesburg has enrolled at the University of Cape Town to do Business Studies. He also plans to “catch a few soccer games during the World Cup though I haven’t bought tickets yet".
He came to Grahamstown when he got a scholarship to attend St Andrew’s College. "I enjoyed the Eastern Cape and I feel it’s where my actual roots are."
"We salute our students on their achievements and will follow their passage through university and beyond with interest. Congratulations to the boys and to their teachers,” said Paul Edey, headmaster of St Andrew’s College.
In Kingswood’s press release, the schhol’s management said the school "has produced a clean sweep in the matric exam results with every candidate having passed the National Senior Certificate, and some top Eastern Cape achievers who have excelled. The results reflect the academic strength of the school in 2009."
The headmistress of DSG, Shelley Frayne said, "The 2009 Matrics can be very proud of this achievement. I congratulate them and their teachers. We wish them much success and happiness in their future endeavours."
