SHARPEVILLE. – Since the arrival of Principal, Mcedisi Ngalo in 2016, there has always been an above 80% pass rate for the matriculants of Lekoa-Shandu Secondary School in Vuka, Sharpeville.
The Class of 2022 of the school have now gone on to outdo the Class of 2021as they have achieved an 85 % pass rate. Although there were challenges such as learning in Accounting, Business Studies and Economics, together with their teachers, the pupils weathered the storm. In the school’s history, Ngalo had to, last year, work with 256 matriculants making his task a difficult mountain to climb, yet together with his staff they overcame it.
The 256 pupils were the biggest group that the school has ever had, and 78 of them achieved a Bachelors Certificate, 81 a Diploma, 42 a Higher Certificate, which is the greatest result a head of an institution in a previously disadvantaged community could ever think of. Some pupils could not complete because of various reasons.
While making a valuation of the Class of 2022 outcomes, Ngalo spoke to Sedibeng Ster and said: “ The challenges have been addressed and from here on we are going forward, we did well and obviously we are happy that the goal for this year has been achieved.”
Ngalo said that as a school (parents, children, educators) they want to achieve more.
“The aim is to go further, the aim is to compete (healthily), the aim is to achieve the best ever. We want to become the best in the cluster, in the district, provincially and eventually nationally.”
When asked for the message for the class of 2023, Ngalo said:
“Life can be cruel but everyone has choices between life and failure. Again, they should know that failure is on the door step of success.”
Ngalo wished to send a message to both parents and staff, and he said:
“Thanks for everything that you have done, thanks for the sacrifices for the early mornings and late nights. I am thankful that I have humble educators and parents besides me. Let us eradicate poverty from the black child. A black child should know that education is power. I wish to encourage societal support for education in the black child.”
Perhaps amongst the previously disadvantaged, Lekoa-Shandu has a right to claim to be amongst the top in Maths and Science this year.
