The Joburg East District director for the Gauteng Provincial Department of Education, Mnyamezeli Ndevu, has urged secondary schools in Alex to sustain their positive work ethic to reach the goal of a 100 percent pass rate.
Ndevu said this in reference to the improved pass rate for Alex schools but decried the drop in the pass rate by up to 30 percent from 2014 in some better-resourced schools.
He attributed the performance inconsistency to many factors still to be determined. He said the factors included schools’ failure to create and sustain an enabling environment for daily teaching and learning. “Schools should not be carried away by the euphoria of one year’s improved pass marks as this could lead to relaxation and relapse,” he said.
“It’s important to maintain the upward passing trend by adopting the basics of education which are teachers’ daily preparedness for class, maintaining a firm schedule for teaching and testing to assess the cognitive development of the children, and timely feedback of results to the students.”
The tests, he said, were the only way to determine improvement and to effect remedial interventions before the final examinations. “This process also assists students to develop positive work ethics and study habits. Also, it makes them more curious about learning and [inculcates] positive competition which all children like to engage in as part of growth and development.”
Ndevu added that the improvement in the results also reflected the schools’ positive recruitment and support processes. “They [schools], in particular, would have engaged and supported heads of departments who are key subject specialists, who the district further supported through curriculum specialists as advisers.”
He further attributed the improvement in performances to schools’ management teams which created consistency in teaching and learning. “This often fails where, for ulterior motives, school governing bodies resist expert support in the recruitment of good teachers.” He said this in reference to alleged school governing bodies’ interference in school management issues, corrupt activities and embezzlement of school funds.
The following percentage pass rates show Alex schools’ performance inconsistency from 2012 to 2015:
- Realogile – 73.7, 70.2, 59 and 64
- Minerva – 69, 83.6, 64.4 and 66.51
- Eastbank – 67.2, 86.8, 69.3 and 76.47
- Alex High – 51.1, 87.7, 83.3 and 89.13
- KwaBhekilanga – 65.4, 97.6, 94.1 and 90.9.
