Autumn School Aimed at Increasing the Grade 12 Pass Rate in Khayelitsha

This morning, Western Cape Education Minister Donald Grant visited Chris Hani Secondary school in Khayelitsha to thank and give encouragement to the hundreds of Grade twelve (12) learners that are participating in a holiday tuition programme.

"Eleven (11) of our Khayelitsha High Schools are taking part in the programme at two different venues, Chris Hani Secondary and Thembelihle High School. I was extremely pleased to see the mass turnout of learners, eager to improve their understanding of the curriculum in preparation for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations," said Grant.

Over one thousand (1 000) learners were taking part in the 'Autumn School' and were receiving extra tuition in subject specific areas such as mathematics, physical science, accountancy, business studies, history and geography.

"It is so important that our learners get all the support they can get, especially in areas such as Khayelitsha where many of our schools performed badly in the 2009 NSC examinations," said Grant.

"Therefore it is encouraging that our Khayelitsha Schools, in co-operation with South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU), are making a concerted effort to improve their pass rates by holding such a programme during the school holidays."

Grant said that Khayelitsha was a focus area for the department in terms of their Grade twelve (12) turnaround strategy that aims to increase the number of passes in the province by two thousand (2 000) in 2010.

"Khayelitsha falls under our Metro East District, where twenty (20) of our eighty five (85) underperforming schools are situated. Therefore, a lot of our resources and energy will be focused in this area," he said.

"We have already visited all the schools that achieved less then sixty percent (60%) last year, and have developed detailed plans to improve individual school performance. Each school has set targets for improvement, for example, at Chris Hani Secondary, they are aiming to achieve one hundred and seventy eight (178) more passes this year, and improving their pass rate from forty four point two percent (44.2%) to sixty five percent (65%)."

Grant said that underperforming schools were also receiving management support from district circuit team managers, extra textbooks were being distributed, and teachers and learners were being monitored for attendance everyday.

"We have already seen improvements in attendance at many of our schools and we are pleased with our progress so far. However, next term we will be rolling out a number of interventions and support mechanisms for our Grade twelve (12) learners and teachers, such as the Grade twelve (12) "Tips for Success" booklet, the distribution of past examination papers and a tutoring programme in selected subjects," he said.

"We are doing everything we can to get our learners over the hurdle of the NSC, and we encourage teachers, principals, learners and parents to embrace this plan and help us achieve the targets we have set."

Grant spoke to some of the Grade twelve's (12's) and encouraged them to study hard.

"You must use every hour of every day to prepare. Hard work does pay off and if you prepare well, you will achieve the results you desire."