St Francis College top achiever happy with results
She achieved six distinctions in English, Afrikaans, mathematics, life orientation, business studies, life sciences.
Following the disappointment of being St Francis College’s second-best matriculant after the preliminary examinations, Grace Kabongo turned it around in the finals to become the school’s top achiever with six distinctions.
“I wasn’t really expecting this,” she said.
“I was second after the prelims but I’m glad I managed to turn it around. I worked hard to get here. I hope this will contribute to my aspirations.”
Kabongo was part of the school’s general knowledge club that won the Sowetan schools’ quiz last year. She was also deputy head girl, member of the interact and debate clubs and netball team.
Despite wearing all these hats, Kabongo was always dedicated to her books. She said she needed to prove to her parents that she could multitask.
“It was a little stressful. I was elected the deputy head girl. I was the president of the debate club, member of the interact club and part of the school’s netball team. I had a lot on my plate. My parents discouraged me from taking so much but I wanted to prove to them I can multitask.”
She explained her extra-mural activities helped her cope with the stress of matric, adding that she worked hard to give the class of 2024 something to aspire to.
“I was put on a platform where I was looking after young children. I felt like I owed it to them to do my absolute best. My primary goal was to give them something to aspire to. I hope to be accepted into medicine at UCT,” said Kabongo.
The school achieved a 93.2% pass rate, with 53 distinctions and 73.5% bachelor’s passes. Kabongo and Mbuso Nsibande (five distinctions) were the top achievers.
Principal Pieter Steyn was pleased with the results.
“I’m so proud of the learners and teachers for their efforts. We are pleased with our outcome. We think it’s commendable.
“It’s not where we want to be but we are extremely proud that we got a 73.5% bachelor’s pass rate. For us, the measurement of the quality of education is the bachelor’s pass rate,” said Steyn.
Also Read: Matric results: St Francis College achieves 97.67% pass rate
Also Read: Meet the St Francis College leadership group
