By ROD AMNER, Grocott’s Mail co-editor Schools are back in session, and 2023 is warming up. Well, in truth, it’s getting a tad overheated. Learners in schools like George Jacques (Alicedale) and Grahamstown Primary swelter in prefabricated classrooms. DD Siwisa learners cannot open their windows – they were welded shut after vandals invaded their classrooms over the holidays. Despite the discomfort and threat of vandalism, local schools can feel proud they are part of the best-performing educational district in the Eastern Cape. The city’s three private schools have produced some ostentatiously impressive results. The public sector’s biggest-ever cohort of matrics…
Author: Rod Amner
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By YANDISWA VARA, Makana Local Municipality Executive Mayor Congratulations to the Class of 2022 for their outstanding results. We are very proud of what they have achieved, and we wish them well in the future. I’m sure the past few weeks of anticipating the results have been tough on all of you. As we celebrate those who have done well, it is essential to consider those who have not passed matric. I would like to encourage all learners who have not achieved their goals not to give up. Failing matric is not the end of the road; there are many…
By DR ASHLEY WESTAWAY, GADRA Education manager The Makhanda Matric class of 2022 has delivered a generally very pleasing set of results in the NSC examinations. The news is not all good, but it’s mostly good. In this analysis of the public school results, I cover several essential performance indicators, including cohort size, retention rate, pass rate, number of Bachelor passes and the Bachelor pass rate. At the onset, it should be noted that considering both percentages and numbers, as well as quantity and quality, is necessary to arrive at a balanced, comprehensive analysis. Too often in this country, there…
By STAFF REPORTER Victoria Girls High School produced another sizzling set of results for the 2022 National Senior Certificate. Here are some stats overall: * 100% pass rate (77 candidates)* 92% bachelor’s pass rate (71 of the 77 candidates)* 91% of symbols above 50%* 42% of all subject symbols are A or B.* 32% with 70% aggregate and above* 72 Subject A’s (13%)* The following subjects had more than 10% of their learners get As: • Afrikaans (11%) • Maths Lit (11%) • Life Orientation (44%) • Accounting (32%) • Visual Art (42%) • Design (50%) VG communications head Sibu…
By ROD AMNER Makhanda’s nine public schools have produced 305 bachelor matric passes, just shy of the record 313 bachelor pass recorded in 2021. This matric cohort – who spent much of their crucial Grade 10 and 11 years in lockdown – is still far ahead of the previous high of 238 bachelor passes set in 2018. And, with an overall pass rate of 84.6% – up from 83% last year – they consolidated Makhanda’s position as the top-performing education centre in the Eastern Cape. A bachelor’s pass makes a candidate eligible for a degree at a university, university of…
By ROD AMNER Learners at DD Siwisa can see the sky through the smashed ceilings and cracked asbestos roofing of their classrooms after their school was breached, vandalised and ransacked last week. DD Siwisa deputy principal Thozama Luvava said Hi-Tec noticed intruders in the school at 3 am on Wednesday, 11 January. They crashed through 15 classrooms’ roofs and ceilings and stole copper cables, light fittings, fans, heaters and taps. The exposed roof and ceiling in a vandalised DD Siwisa Primary School classroom. Photo: supplied Hi-Tec was unable to contact the school’s leadership and could not enter the locked buildings.…
By STAFF REPORTER All 17 St Andrew’s College and the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) learners who wrote their final Cambridge International A Level examinations in 2022 passed all their subjects. And 30% of the A-level results were over 80%. Five of the twelve candidates achieved distinctions for A-Level Chemistry, including three A* (90 and above) symbols. Five of the thirteen candidates in A-Level Physics earned A* or A symbols. In 2019, St Andrew’s College and DSG introduced a Cambridge International A Levels Stream, giving their students the choice of a recognised and respected international alternative to the mainstream National…
By STAFF REPORTER The Grade 1s – and their parents – were full of joy on their first day in Miss Els’s class at PJ Olivier.
By STAFF REPORTER The 2022 St Andrew’s College Matrics who wrote the IEB examination achieved a 100% pass rate, with all but one of the 77 boys earning a Bachelor’s Degree (BD) pass (99%). And two local St Andrew’s College boys achieved six distinctions: Benjamin Terry, from Makhanda, was the Dux Scholar with an 84% aggregate and distinctions in English HL, History, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Music and Physical Science. Benjamin Terry Aidan Reynolds, also from Makhanda, achieved an aggregate of 83%, with distinctions in English HL, History, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Music and Physical Science. Aidan Reynolds Newly-appointed St Andrew’s College…
By STAFF REPORTER Two Kingswood College matrics, Catherine Williamson and Taryn-Rae Brown received a full house of distinctions in the 2022 IEB exams. Williamson, a Makhandan who was Kingswood head girl and Dux Scholar for 2022, achieved an overall average of 93%. She also made the IEB Outstanding Achievements List, awarded to pupils who have ranked in the Top 5% in six or more subjects and who have achieved a rating level of seven in Life Orientation. Catherine Williamson She joined Kingswood College in Grade 8 and excelled in the academic, sporting and cultural spheres during her time at Kingswood.…