Top achievers 2023

Danville Park Girls’ High School salutes its 2023 matrics
The Principal, School Governing Body and Staff of Danville Park Girls’ High School congratulates the matric class of 2023.
We are filled with immense pride and gratitude that our matric learners have once again achieved a 100% pass rate, marking the 30th consecutive year of outstanding success. This incredible milestone is a testament to the unwavering dedication, hard work, and collaboration of our entire school community and is thus a shared and collaborative achievement.
Our exceptional educators’ dedication to excellence has set a high standard for academic achievement, our parents and guardians have been steadfast partners in the educational journey of our girls and our feeder primary schools have played a crucial role in laying the foundation for their academic success.
Our Danville Diamonds shine brightly and make us immensely proud. They have worked hard and shown resilience and determination. Well done!
Principal, Linda Scholtz.
Remarkable achievement from Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School’s class of 2023
Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School entered 61 full-time candidates for the 2023 Independent Examinations Board (IEB) National Senior Certificate examinations in which they achieved the following:
100% pass rate
99% Bachelor’s Degree Pass
4 IEB Outstanding Achiever’s
1 IEB Commendable Achiever
14 A aggregates
141 subject A’s
A group average of 76%
6 rankings in the Top 1% of candidates per subject in South Africa
Particularly pleasing to note is that this year, 53% of Physical Science students achieved an A symbol. Other subjects which also had significant A symbols achievements by our girls were: isiZulu (60% of students), Accounting (62% of students) and Visual Arts (69% of students). This is a remarkable achievement from the class of 2023.
Our girls have continued the 2023 theme ‘Onward and Upward’ by further building upon the history of solid academic performance in the IEB NSC exams here at Our Lady of Fatima. We acknowledge too, the important and crucial role that each of their teachers have played in ensuring they are fully supported during their schooling journey. We wish the Class of 2023 every blessing and success as they continue their post-school journey.
Each year the IEB acknowledges their top achievers based off the following criteria:
For a Commendable achiever the student must achieve five placings in the top 5% of subjects nationally and over 80% in LO. For an Outstanding achiever the student must achieve at least six placings in the top 5% of subjects nationally and over 80% in LO. It is a significant achievement to be placed onto these lists.
Our Lady of Fatima Principal, Deirdre Horsfall.
Northwood School’s Class of 2023 set the bar high
The matric class of 2023 has made us incredibly proud! By achieving a 98% pass rate they placed us as the Top Performing Public Boys’ School in Ethekwini.
18 boys achieved A aggregates, with the following five boys achieving a full house of seven distinctions: Yakecen Govender, Lesharn Govender, Leal Jensen, Liam Kumar and Pavan Naidoo.
Six A’s were obtained by: Thivaar Juggernath and Tyler Swanepoel, while 5 A’s were obtained by Reece Van der Linde and Tahir Anandavasagar.
The following matriculants obtained four A’s: Kavish Singh, Nirav Maharaj, Kyle Price, Ethan Govender, Nishay Singh, Kian Naidoo, Ndumiso Phungula, Siyabonga Mnyandu and Jaden Pillay.
Overall, the Class of 2023 achieved 197 subject distinctions, with 96.5% of students qualifying for tertiary study, of which 78,6% qualified with a Bachelors Pass. The grade obtained an overall average of 61,4%.
Special mention goes to our top three achievers; Yakecen Govender and Lasharn Govender tied first with an aggregate of 92.8%, and Leal Jensen placing third with a 91.3% aggregate. Yakecen Govender also achieved an outstanding 97% for Further Studies Mathematics (AP Maths) written through the IEB Programme.
Northwood management and staff congratulate our Class of 2023 on their fantastic results; a testament to the hard work from our learners, guidance and support from parents and unending commitment from our teaching staff.
Northwood School Principal, Reggie Govender.
Self-discipline and a good balance aid top matriculant from NGHS
Northlands Girls’ High School’s 2023 Top Achiever is 17-year-old Yaajna Ramthall who achieved seven distinctions. She responds to the following questions.
What study habits or techniques did you find most effective?
Going through many past papers. I did a minimum of eight years’ worth of past papers and analysed the common question techniques and topics. Revision and going through supplementary papers from recent years was also useful. I believe that having a balance between study, exercise and eating well is crucial to studying effectively and optimally. I also limited my time or avoided going on social media during study breaks.
What advice do you have for current and future students who aspire to achieve academic excellence like you did?
Self-discipline, and knowing exactly what you wish to achieve and the steps to get there. This includes doing what is required of you to achieve the goals set out for yourself, irrespective of how many distractions and or temptations are around you. The main driving factor to excellence other than effort is one’s mindset. Staying positive and self-motivated despite any difficulties experienced – this will aid in building a growth mindset for the future. Limiting and eliminating distractions is one of the key factors to excellence. Your matric year flies by and I do encourage a balance of socialising while ensuring you are up to date with all academic related tasks without burning out. Lastly, be yourself and strive to be the absolute best version of you, because progress is greater than perfection.
What are your plans for 2024 and beyond?
I will be studying Actuarial Science at Stellenbosch University on a bursary from a financial firm. I have been offered bursaries due to my academic results from numerous universities which has served as even more motivation to strive for academic excellence.