Hoërskool Garsfontein lent a helping hand to a struggling Mamelodi secondary school, leading to a drastic improvement in the school’s results.
The Modiri Technical School had a 39 percent pass rate for Mathematics and Science in 2016. This effectively doubled to 80 percent in 2017 after a Saturday school project to tutor learners was initiated by District Director Hilda Kekana from the Gauteng Department of Education and Hoërskool Garsfontein, which is renowned for its academic achievements in the province.
The school received immense financial support and human capital, said Nkanyana Shabangu, the principal at Modiri Technical School. “Hoërskool Garsfontein organised a bus to collect learners every Saturday morning and bring them back in the afternoons. They provided food for the learners, writing material and educators.”
Shabangu explained that the poor performance of learners in Mathematics and Science was behind the school’s poor matric results in 2016.
“There were also problems [with finding] suitable, qualified educators in the two subjects as well as [there was] low commitment from both learners and educators teaching these subjects,” he added.
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Hoërskool Garsfontein obtained a 100 percent pass rate and had the second best overall academic performance in Gauteng for 2017. However, this was not a first for the school, as it had been moving between first and second place since 2014.
Hoërskool Garsfontein Principal Leon Bantjes said there is a need to uplift surrounding schools to create a cohesive education for all.
“Recognising the broader challenges in the teaching of Mathematics and Science at this school [was why] we started the Saturday school for the Modiri matriculants,” he said.
Shabangu said other forms of support came from an NGO called ECICalso as well as the Gauteng Department of Education.
“Educators were brought in to offer extra lessons in the afternoons and the department made sure that every Grade 12 learner had study material for the subjects. Above all, there was commitment from both educators and learners,” he said.
“We would be very grateful if this project can continue in 2018.”
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