Bethelsdorp and Ithembelihle comprehensive schools have made the biggest jumps in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, with significant percentage point increases in their pass rates.
At the Bethelsdorp school there was euphoria on Tuesday as the class of 2025 managed to turn the tide that saw the school record one of its lowest pass rates in 2024, at 50.4%.
In 2025, the school attained 78.5% which brought immense pride to principal Jerome Meyer.
“We were obviously very disappointed as the staff and the school as a whole [in 2024].
“The learners were still doing well in the September 2024 exam, but somehow they got complacent.
“The matric results of that year were a bitter pill to swallow, but we made a promise that it would never happen again.”
He said that in 2025 they opted to move all activities to the beginning of the year.
“We got the parents involved and there was consistent change.
“The most important change was the department of education that got involved in the school.
“They helped to get the learners and teachers closer to each other, who were otherwise distant from each other.
“That was a huge shift and made a major difference.
“There was a turnaround in the attitude of the learners and teachers. It was like a mental shift because the confidence had been very low.
“Everybody took ownership.”
Deputy principal Brenley Bruiners applauded Meyer for his management style and leadership as well as the staff and pupils for going the extra mile.
“It was a real team effort to shift things around. Everybody knew exactly what their roles were.
“There was a change in the whole school, because the educators had more confidence in management.
“Especially among the novice teachers, teamwork improved.
“The discipline at the school has improved tremendously, because of the good relationships.
“The mentorship programme is definitely working — one can see in the results.
“We believe that the class of 2026 will fare even better.”
The school’s 2025 headboy, Monrique Rollison, 17, who will study chartered accountancy at the University of Free State this year, said it was a really tough year.
“The holiday camps helped us a lot.
“I must say we have the best teachers here at Bethelsdorp.
“Their confidence boosted us and gave us the will to succeed. We all worked together, parents, teachers and learners.
“The results of 2024 made us realise that there was a lot of work to be done.
“I am very proud to have been at this school.”
The 2025 headgirl, Lenodine Nel, 18, said there were a lot of challenges but the teachers believed in them.
“They always motivated and encouraged us. It was tough being headgirl.
“I am going to study a BSc in biological science this year.”
For Ithembelihle Comprehensive School’s class of 2025, every late night was a reward after they recorded a 98.7% matric pass rate.
The results marked a dramatic turnaround from 2024, when the school recorded a 71.4% pass rate, a significant drop from the 81.8% achieved the previous year.
While two pupils narrowly missed the finish line, falling just short of a perfect 100%, the near-miss did little to dull the shine of a performance that includes 45 bachelor’s passes and 72 diploma passes.
On Tuesday, deputy principal Simphiwe Dasi said the school believed it had finally cracked the winning formula.
“This year, we are still targeting 100% because we have to maintain what we achieved,” he said.
“We intend to use the same system, but we did observe some burnout towards the end of the year, perhaps anxiety, so we will try to avoid that this year.”
Dasi said the praise should mostly go to the pupils who set their sights on a perfect score.
“It was not easy. We started as early as the first term, with morning classes and study sessions after school until 5.30pm throughout the year,” he said.
“There were no holidays. Teachers sacrificed their time to offer extra classes, so I think the learners were quite ready.
“Everyone, teachers, parents and the school community, is very happy and excited about what we managed to achieve.”
One of its top pupils, Ungowethu Quphe, who obtained four distinctions, said he wanted to study mechanical engineering.
“All I can advise the matrics this year is to come knowing what your goal is, so you don’t lose focus and end up doing things to fit in,” he said.
The Herald