Kwa-Thema – Internal power struggles at Lefa-Ifa Secondary School are said to be the cause of the appalling matric results for two years in a row.
The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, visited the school on Monday as part of her school readiness programme in the Gauteng east district.
The troubled school saw a massive decrease in its matric pass rate from 82.2% in 2019 to 44.7% in 2020.
The Class of 2021 only produced a pass rate of 47.5%.
During Motshekga’s visit, she said shifting the blame as to why the school isn’t performing will not help
the situation.
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She asked that teachers, management and stakeholders work together towards the solution.
“The plan is to keep visiting the school to work on issues that have been identified,” said Motshekga.
A new principal, Disekeletso Saboshego, was appointed at the school in October.
“We also have to support the new principal as she has a huge task ahead of her.
“We have also noted the issue of infrastructure and drugs.
“On the issue of drugs, we have to interact and work with the community because that’s where drugs come from,” she said.
She added that parents also play a huge role when it comes to learning
and that the school needed stability.
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“I still don’t get how we got here or what happened.
“It doesn’t help for us to come up with patches if the wound is septic.
“Stability is needed to ensure that there’s a proper turnaround at this school.”
Circuit manager for the schools in Kwa-Thema and Springs, Nombasa Ncediwe Soge, said internal and social issues along with Covid-19 were to blame for the school’s horrible performance.
With 260 enrolled matriculants, Saboshego said they are hoping to attain a pass rate of 80%.
She said some of their challenges are a shortage of teachers in subjects like mathematics and accounting, infighting and a lack of cooperation.
They have, however, devised a turnaround strategy.
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