Isipingo school’s matric results soar to record high
It is history in the making for Strelitizia Secondary School, which recently achieved a record high matric pass rate.
FROM a pass rate of just over 60% in 2021, Strelitzia Secondary School in Lotus Park clawed its way up to an astounding 92.5% pass rate for last year’s matric class.
Mokesh Harichan, the school’s principal since 2014, said that this is the best achievement for the school since 1994.
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“We want to say as a school how proud we are of our achievement. We are thankful to the community, to the learners for their hard work, our teachers for going above and beyond, and for the support from the Department of Education,” said Harichan.
The pass rate at the school has changed iteratively from its low point of around 60% in 2021. In 2023, the school achieved a 74% pass rate while in 2024, that figure jumped to 82% and now, the school proudly sits at 92.5%.
This is in spite of the many challenges the school faces. “This is a State school and is a fee-paying school, but the challenge is that we only get around 25% of school fees. The biggest challenge, however, is the social ills within the community. Many of our learners come from indigent backgrounds. Through hard work from the learners, teachers, parents and SGB, we have risen above our target as a T85 school,” said Harichan.
According of the school’s deputy principal, Nomvulo Ngcobozi, Strelitzia teachers went above the call of duty.
“We had intervention classes, starting at 06:30, afternoon classes, holiday programmes and peer teachers coming from other schools to assist us. This achievement is as a result of collaboration between the staff, parents and learners,” said Ngcobozi.
Teachers identified high-risk learners that were in need of assistance and targeted interventions to uplift their marks. They also analysed marks at the end of each term to strategise which subjects needed attention, and organised regular testing during the terms.
Deputy principal Ashri Rupee said, “It was a beautiful surprise to see our results once they were released. We were very surprised and so overwhelmed.”
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