While the Eastern Cape may have dropped in its overall ranking for the matric pass rate in 2020, one Nelson Mandela Bay pupil went straight to the top after being hailed as the national top achiever.
It is all about maintaining a balance, says Reynhardt Buys, 18, the whizzkid from Pearson High School who placed first overall in SA for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in 2020 in addition to securing the third place nationally for mathematics.
During the annual NSC provincial results briefing in East London on Tuesday, premier Oscar Mabuyane congratulated Buys, of Bluewater Bay, for “putting the Eastern Cape on the national map” with his outstanding academic achievement.
Buys said on Tuesday his secret to success was revising every past paper and memo he could get his hands on. He achieved 100% for pure mathematics, as well as 92% in advanced programme mathematics.
Overall, the bright spark scored above 90% for every other school subject he wrote in the 2020 academic year — Afrikaans (97%), English (95%), life orientation (92%), accounting (96%), physical science (100%) and information technology (97%).
He said his mentor was his mother, Melanie Marx, who he described as smart.
“If I was struggling with a problem I could always go to her for help. All my teachers were amazing. I had all their numbers and we could reach out to them,” Reynhardt said.
He said he did not feel like he needed an extra push as studying came naturally and mathematics was something he enjoyed and did not hesitate to do.
Buys said he was yet to process the reality of his achievements.
“My mom is in shock, we haven’t been able to process this. I saw from her seat that she was crying and I knew she was extremely proud.”
He attributed his success to his family and friends and said he was never put under pressure to obtain sterling results.
“In the end, achievements will fade but your friends and family will remain and that is what matters most,” he said.
Reynhardt plans to study actuarial science at Stellenbosch University.
At the event, Mabuyane commended all the top achievers, teachers, department officials, school governing bodies, and every other person who played a role in the province’s academic performance under very difficult circumstances.
“The quantity of the results has dropped, but the quality continues to improve,” Mabuyane said.
“Teaching is the mother of all professions, hence it needs teachers with passion to give learners the best foundation that would enable them to have successful careers. It is not a job, but a calling.”
The premier did, however, put pressure on the department and educators to achieve better results in the coming year, saying that the excuses of 2020 will not be relevant this year.
“The 8% drop in the pass rate is understandable for this year because of Covid-19... We should have learnt lessons from last year and developed our plans to work in the new normal because the virus will be with us for the rest of this year.”
The provincial matric pass rate dropped to 68.1% in 2020, compared with 2019’s 76.4%.
However, education MEC Fundile Gade mentioned that 9,728 more pupils wrote the NSC exams in 2020, and subsequently 1,360 more pupils passed matric in 2020, compared with 2019.
Bachelor's passes painted a similar picture as the percentage was dropped to 30% (down 2.3%), but 1,467 more pupils achieved this accomplishment than in 2019.
“My heart goes to all of our teachers for their dedication and hard work.
“You made us proud for your heart-warming battles against the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic and went an extra mile to ensure that our learners had every opportunity possible to succeed in the NSC,” Gade said.
Other commendable achievements from the Nelson Mandela Bay district included the region again taking top honours out of 12 teaching districts with an overall pass rate of 75.5%.
Numerous other Nelson Mandela Bay pupils who also excelled received special mention at Tuesday’s top achievers’ event, having claimed podium positions in a variety of categories.
Besides boasting the top achiever in the country, Pearson High School was very happy with the 99.1% pass rate it achieved.
Principal Hela Roux said it was unfortunate that two out of their 228 matric pupils did not make the cut, but believes the pass rate reflects the dedication of their pupils and staff.
“Everyone feels like these results are theirs, because everyone played their part in this achievement. It really was, and continues to be, a team effort,” Roux said.
Grey High School rector Christian Erasmus said he was satisfied with their 98.3% pass rate, and was particularly happy with the 19 pupils who achieved distinctions for mathematics.
“We saw some of our boys thrive while working independently. Luckily we have a hugely experienced teaching staff that worked hard and were able to make the best of tough circumstances.”
He said the past year highlighted that school was about more than just “curriculum delivery”, and they missed the culture, people and activities school brought outside of academics.
At Victoria Park High School, 95% of pupils passed matric, and principal Mike Vermaak said they were pleased with the results.
Collegiate Girls High School, which has over several years produced consistent 100% pass rates, this year missed full marks after a pupil’s mother died due to Covid-19 the night before she was to sit for an exam.
Principal Louise Erasmus said it was really difficult for the teenager, who attempted to write the exam but subsequently had to withdraw.
A sweet touch to sisterhood, Erasmus said during last year, pupils raised money through home sport challenges for girls who were struggling with data costs for online learning.
The Nizamiye Al-Azhar Institute not only achieved a 100% matriculant pass rate for the seventh consecutive year, it also saw all 16 grade 12 pupils achieve a bachelor’s pass.
Combined the pupils received 47 distinctions with an overall class average of 74.1%.
Principal Engin Gül attributed their success to a committed teaching staff and ensuring that discipline was a top priority.
In Uitenhage, Technical High School Daniel Pienaar achieved an 86.95% pass rate, and principal Kola du Toit said while they were satisfied with the figure, the fact that pupils did not have such a wide range of subject choices, coupled with Covid-19 challenges, played a large part in their results.
Muir College academic head Hantie Meyer said their 94% pass rate was in large part due to the hard work of their educators “making the best of a bad situation”.
They were particularly proud of their top achievers, achieving a collective 15 distinctions among the four of them.
Brandwag High School saw 97.4% of their matrics passing, and principal Steven Zietsman said they also achieved 10% more bachelor passes than the previous year.
Since 2013, Riebeek Girls High School in Uitenhage has beamed with success having achieved a 100% pass rate.
However, they missed out on that achievement this year, recording a 98.9% pass rate.
Head of academics Sandra Gerber said one pupil, Teneal Rudman, obtained seven distinctions.
“Recognition must also be given to the parents who played a bigger role than in previous years. These results belong to parents as much as [pupils],” Gerber said.
Despite the school having at least 11 Covid-19 infections among its staff, KwaMagxaki High School achieved a 71.3% pass rate with 34 bachelor passes, 41 diplomas and 17 higher certificates.
Principal Vuyani Ngcelwane said the school had done well, considering last year’s unprecedented circumstances, which included the death of a staff member due to the pandemic.
EZ Kabane High School in Zwide achieved a 62.85% pass rate with 10 bachelor’s, 10 diplomas and 2 higher certificates.
“The results have come as a positive surprise because the learners were very discouraged by last year’s circumstances,” principal Shumani Muthige said.
“There were those who really struggled in grade 12 because they had been pushed to progress from grade 11.”
In Port Elizabeth’s northern areas, Chapman High School principal William Abrahams said though he was happy with the school’s pass rate of 80.7%, it was a decline of 3% compared with the 2019 results.
Keith Buck, who was appointed as principal of Sanctor High School last year, said the pass rate dropped 10 percentage points to 64.48%.
“It was a demanding year. The pupils had to write under immense pressure. We also had to use isolation rooms.
“Of the 219 learners that wrote the exams, 138 passed matric. I told those who did not make it that it was not the end of the world. There is a second chance for them.”
Paterson High School principal Rose de Doncker said 81 of Paterson’s 103 pupils passed.
De Doncker said she was very proud of the matrics’ achievement because the pupils experienced many different challenges.
“My big concern was always whether the pupils would be able to concentrate, especially those who lost their parents during 2020.”
One such pupil is Nande Mahile, whose mother died during the final exams.
“It was traumatising. But today my mother would have been proud that I passed,” she said.
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