Deputy minister lambasts school principals

The deputy minister of education, Reginah Mhaule, visited Nkomazi’s high school principals at KaMhlushwa Primary School last Monday.
The visit was prompted by the decline in Nkomazi’s six circuits’ performance in the 2022 academic year. Ehlanzeni was third in the 2022 matric results for the first time since its inception. This was presented during the analysis of the results by the district’s acting director, Jabulani Ndlovu.

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Mhaule said she was heartbroken to see schools like these reaching an all-time low, so she decided to go out to find out what the problem is, and to tell the principals to get back into the saddle. She encouraged them to aim for the highest marks.
“The first doctor in Mpumalanga came from Nkomazi. There is so much history of excellence here. It breaks my heart that I have to talk to leaders of schools because of a drastic decline in the matric results over the years.

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“You do not belong in mediocrity; your place is at the top, and I challenge you to reclaim it. I was so embarrassed when the results were announced. You used to perform very well, which means you have the potential. Let’s go back, let’s roll up our sleeves and ensure we work hard to get better results.”
Mhaule said in some instances, changes in leadership seem to have played a role in the catastrophic results in Nkomazi.

“Sometimes the change of leadership affects the schools. You would find that the principal who used to get good results has left the school, the circuit managers have left, and it has a new leadership altogether. A school is as good as its principal, and teamwork is essential. I am here to find out what the challenges are. Are these people working together as teams? Are all the stakeholders, the school governing bodies and the parents involved? It takes everyone to ensure that learners make it at the end of the day.”

According to Ndlovu, Nkomazi was ninth out of the 17 municipalities in the province.

“Nkomazi was in 2014 number one out of the 18 municipalities in the province. Nkomazi East is the worst performing circuit in the municipality and the district, obtaining 60.2%, which is a 16% drop from the 2021 National Senior Certificate performance. Some 80% of schools in Nkomazi East, 62.5% in Malalane and 50% in Lubombo Circuit have performed below 70%.

“Similarly, some well-performing schools, Sophungane, Mjokwane and Khula, have dropped in their performance to below 70%. The 57 schools in Nkomazi registered 8 608 candidates, and out of those, only 2 710 obtained bachelor’s passes. Only one school in Ehlanzeni has obtained club 50 status in mathematics, and that school is not in Nkomazi. However, Suikerland and Mjokwane have obtained club 50 status in physical sciences,” Ndlovu said.