A new chapter dawns for the matriculant class of 2022, who today finally received their long-awaited results.
Helderberg schools were abuzz with activity as Grade 12 learners entered the gates of these institutions for the final time. There was an overall mood of accomplishment and relief as learners congratulated one another and shared laughs and high fives to mark the end of their school journey.
Local matriculants are among the greater Western Cape matric class of 2022, who has beaten the odds, and according provincial education minister David Maynier, increased the provincial matric pass rate to 81,4%, with 49 102 candidates passing the exams – the largest number of successful candidates ever.
“More importantly, every single one of our successful candidates received a matric pass that makes them eligible to apply to universities or colleges,” said Maynier. “This means we have extended opportunity to nearly 50 000 young people who are now ready to take the next step into higher education and skills development, which is great news! In addition, five of our candidates were recognised by the national minister as the best of the best – including the top candidate in the whole country!”
Maynier divulged that the Metro East Education District’s pass rate, specifically, increased by 1,15% to 78,29% this year, adding to their increase achieved last year. The Helderberg forms part of this district.
“Gone are the days when it was assumed that Metro East would be at the bottom of the district log. They are now knocking on the door of 80%! And they are closing the inequality gap that schools in areas with difficult socio-economic circumstances face,” he added.
“We also congratulate Overberg, Cape Winelands and Metro Central education districts for increasing their pass rates, and Metro North Education District for claiming the top spot at 85,46% – well done to director Wendy Horn and team!”
The top candidates in Quintile 5 are Kelly Grace Prowse (Rustenberg Girls’ High School) in first place, Simone Anna Mart Louw (Bloemhof Girls’ High School) in second and Kenneth Janson (Paarl Boys’ High School) in third. Clinching a top spot in Quintile 3 was Athenkosi Khonzani (Centre of Science and Technology – COSAT) placing second. Top candidates in mathematics are Prowse (first) and Jason Frederik de Villiers (third, Rondebosch Boys’ High).
Maynier further commended the class of 2022 for the extraordinary achievements, despite the greatest disadvantage due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and other disruptions during the exam period.
“This class was one of the last to go back to school in 2020, and were not at school every day during 2021. Their curriculum was trimmed for three years, but the matric exams tested the full content. And they did not have any exam practice in Grade 10 and 11.”
He added that matriculants have struggled with the ongoing challenge of load-shedding, but were able to conduct all exams successfully despite the rolling power cuts, which left many learners in the dark during evenings they needed to study.
Furthermore, candidates in the Cape had the added disruption of a major taxi strike during their exams. Due to the extraordinary efforts of schools, parents, and learners, candidates were all able to write their exams during the strike.
“This was also the biggest matric class we have ever had, with 2 629 extra candidates compared to last year, and our highest exam turnout rate since 2015. In other words, a greater proportion of the learners who registered for the matric exams at the beginning of 2022 actually wrote the full set of exams than in recent years,” explained Maynier.
“So raising the pass rate this year really is an outstanding achievement. Their success has two key ingredients: Firstly, our candidates received incredible support from their teachers, parents, and district offices, who pulled out all stops to make sure our learners could succeed. Altogether 26 000 learners attended winter school, and 23 000 attended spring school, during school holidays. In addition, schools held afternoon and Saturday classes, districts organized streamed lessons, our ePortal had dedicated matric resources, and special attention was also paid to the well-being and mental health of our learners this year.”
Maynier thanked everyone who played a role in supporting the matriculants, especially Grade 12 teachers who have done a phenomenal job in tough circumstances to prepare their learners.
“But the second, and most important, key ingredient is the unbeatable spirit of the class of 2022. Faced with the challenges of the pandemic and load-shedding, they could have been tempted to give up. But they showed incredible grit, and gave their all, putting in hundreds of extra hours of work, and investing in their own futures. We are so proud of them, and we can’t wait to see what they do next!”
.Candidates are able collect their results from their schools today (Friday 20 January), but can view it on the Western Cape Education Department’s website at www.wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/.
