When thirteen young men and women stood tall at the Alexandra Education Committee’s (AEC) Waverley offices on January 19, each carried not only the weight of personal triumph but also the collective pride of a community that has long fought for opportunity.

The learners, together with 35 other AEC learners, achieved what many might have thought impossible – a 100% Bachelor’s Degree pass rate in the 2025 matric examinations, amassing a total of 104 distinctions.

Their journey was anything but straightforward. Beginning their high school journey in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, they endured disrupted schooling, prolonged closures, and the uncertainty of lockdown. Against all odds, they delivered nothing short of an excellent academic performance in their final year of study.

Read more: Lukhanyo passes with flying colours

AEC director Paul Channon, who has steered the organisation since 2015, reflected on their achievement with pride. “They have had to work harder than many of the students before them, particularly if you were at a school in Alexandra, which, I think, were closed up during the lockdown. They have had to work very hard. I am proud of them.”

Established in 1996, AEC has built a reputation for identifying academically promising children in Alexandra’s overcrowded primary schools. By tracking performance from grades 5 to 7 and awarding bursaries when funds allow, the committee has enabled more than 1 000 learners to leave township classrooms behind and enter well-resourced partner schools.

The impact of the AEC bursaries has been profound. For many, these bursaries have served as bridges to opportunities once unimaginable. Of the 104 distinctions, one learner achieved eight, two achieved six each, three achieved five, one achieved four, nine achieved three, and eleven achieved two. A bunch more achieved one each. These results, for AEC, reflect the steady application, sound teaching, and long-term commitment to academic excellence.

For Keamogetswe Habile, who earned five distinctions, AEC’s extra lessons were pivotal. “The teachers here are fantastic. They patched up the gaps and pushed me towards the distinctions.” She will now pursue a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance and Accounting at the University of Cape Town.

Also read: Alexandra Education Committee learners impress with 100% pass rate and 104 distinctions

Motheo Matjie, also with five distinctions, is headed to Wits to study for a Bachelor of Economic Science. She said her performance can be attributed to AEC’s support. “Never did I think I would be accepted by a scholarship. AEC got me everything I needed.”

Beyond the financial support, other top achievers, such as Thandolethu Mhlongo, who amassed six distinctions, lauded the AEC for providing her with psychosocial support, especially in times when she needed it the most. Mhlongo, Matjie, and other learners, pointed out academic and mentoring co-ordinator Kate Wong as a steady guide for learners navigating doubt and tough choices. “If Mrs Wong and other teachers were not there when I switched subjects, I would not have got the distinctions I did,” Matjie reflected.

Now, as the 2025 AEC class prepares to enter universities across the country, they carry with them not only their own dreams but also the hopes of a community that has long believed in the promise of its children.

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