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Uitenhage Schools 60.1% increase in pass rate from 2014

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Dear MyPE

The DA can today reveal the best and worst performing schools over the last three years, based on an analysis of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

I have today written to the Chairperson of the Basic Education Portfolio Committee, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, to request that we conduct oversight of schools that saw the biggest improvement, and the biggest decline, in the 2016 NSC examinations.

There are a number of schools that produce excellent results in very difficult socio-economic circumstances. Samuel Nombewu High School in the Mount Fletcher District of the Eastern Cape, for example, achieved a 100% pass rate in the 2016 NSC examinations, up from 20% in 2014.

Understanding how schools like Samule Nombewu High manage to succeed, and replicating their formula for success, is key to the improvement of schools across the board.

The five high schools that saw the biggest improvement in their matric results between 2014 and 2016 (with 30 candidates or more) were:

        2014 2015  2016   
Province District School name Quintile Total Passed % Total Passed % Total Passed % Increase 2014- 2016
EC MT FLETCHER SAMUEL NOMBEWU
SENIOR SECONDARY
SCHOOL		 2 40 8 20 43 21 48.8 33 33 100 80
KZN UMZINYATHI CABANGOKUHLE HIGH SCHOOL 2 306 35 11.4 155 34 21.9 36 27 75 63.6
KZN UTHUKELA THEMBALIHLE
COMBINED SCHOOL		 2 76 8 10.5 41 18 43.9 42 30 71.4 60.9
EC UITENHAGE NKULULEKO SENIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL		 3 116 18 15.5 119 33 27.7 45 34 75.6 60.1
KZN UMGUNGUNDLOVU SIBONGUMUSA HIGH SCHOOL 2 158 33 20.9 107 53 49.5 48 37 77.1 56.2

These five schools are success stories we can all be proud of, and that we can learn from. How did the Principals of these schools manage to turn them around? Was their success due to the provincial government they fall under, or in spite of it?

Then, there are a number of schools that saw a precipitous drop in their NSC performance over the last three years. Understanding what is going wrong at these schools is key to understanding the underperformance of so many schools around the country.

The five high schools that saw the biggest decline in their matric results between 2014 and 2016 (with 30 candidates or more) were:

        2014 2015 2016  
Province District School name Quintile Total Passed % Total Passed % Total Passed % Decrease 2014- 2016
KZN ZULULAND UMHLOLUTHINI HIGH SCHOOL 1 60 52 86.7 53 45 84.9 48 2 4.2 -82.5
MP BOHLABELA DISTRICT MATHUKWANE
SECONDARY SCHOOL		 1 40 40 100 32 8 25 31 6 19.4 -80.6
KZN UTHUNGULU ZINQOBELE HIGH SCHOOL 1 48 42 87.5 129 3 2.3 80 7 8.8 -78.7
EC LIBODE SANDI SENIOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL		 1 95 95 100 256 101 39.5 177 50 28.2 -71.8
LP GREATER SEKHUKHUNE KWELEDI SECONDARY 2 42 38 90.5 98 52 53.1 110 23 20.9 -69.6

It is heartbreaking to see a school like Umhloluthini High drop its matric pass rate from 86.7% in 2014 to 4.2% in 2016. What went wrong at this school? Were there learning materials? Were the teachers present, punctual and prepared? These are some of the questions we need to find the answers to.

The Basic Education Portfolio Committee has already undertaken an oversight visit to Port Elizabeth for the opening of schools, and we will be spending a few days in schools in an underperforming district in the coming weeks.

We believe that, in addition to these visits, the Portfolio Committee must go to the schools that saw the most improvement and those that saw the biggest decline. This will provide us with a much clearer snapshot of the state of basic education in our country.

Regards

Gavin Davis MP
DA Shadow Minister for Basic Education

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.