Dr Nkhensani turns Thabina circuit’s matric pass rate around
It took one dedicated teacher to turn the matric pass rate of a whole circuit around.
For years the Thabina Circuit in Tzaneen struggled with below-average results until Dr Nkhensani Mbhalati took over the reins. During the 2023 exam results, the circuit obtained an 80.8% pass rate, with all 11 schools performing above 70%. This is after the circuit under-performed for seven consecutive years. When she joined the circuit in May 2021, the circuit’s matric pass rate was 60.4% and she had a huge task of taking it out of the danger zone.
However, Mbhalati was up for the challenge. “I was told that it was impossible to obtain any positive results. “When I arrived, I started getting everyone involved, all stakeholders including both primary and secondary school principals, the traditional authorities, teachers and learners. “I set a target of 70% for 2021 to motivate both the learners and teachers and make them see that it is possible. “I also led by example, I introduced weekend classes and visited the schools over weekends,” she said.
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The circuit manager told the Herald that her secret weapon is leading by kindness. Six months after taking over Thabina, the circuit obtained a 74.4% pass rate. However, in 2022 they dropped to 71%, which was heartbreaking. “We did not allow the drop to demotivate us, I encouraged everyone and upped our target to 80% for 2023. “By God’s grace and all the hard work we put in, we managed to obtain the 80% target and in 2024 we have set a realistic goal of 90% and a wishful goal of 100%,” she added.
Mbhalati was born and bred in Mhinga village. From a young age, her family took education seriously as a way of changing their lives. She used to be first in class and in Gr 5 she was promoted to Gr 7 and after Gr 7 she was promoted to Gr 9. After matric, she studied teaching at the Hoxani Education College and furthered her studies as time went by to the point where she graduated with a PhD in 2016 from the University of Free State