KAREEDOUW – Qhayiyalethu Secondary School in Kareedouw has achieved a remarkable 96.3% matric pass rate in 2025, a dramatic turnaround from just 35.5% in 2022, under the leadership of Principal Landile Buwa, who was appointed in May 2024.
The remarkable transformation saw 52 out of 54 matric learners pass the National Senior Certificate (NSC), with 26 obtaining Bachelor’s passes, 23 achieving Diploma passes, and three earning higher certificates.
The school’s matric pass rates showed steady improvement: 35.5% in 2022, 41% in 2023, 65% in 2024, and the exceptional 96.3% in 2025.
Buwa said he believes the reason for the increase in percentage is the school’s new management.
He said that upon assuming leadership of the school in May 2024, he found it understaffed and poorly structured.
By the end of the year, however, Buwa had assembled a complete team that was fully committed to implementing his vision for the school.
The success, however, required significant dedication from both staff and learners.
“Both the staff and learners had to put in hard work to obtain this pass rate. We had to implement the plans we had and be consistent with those plans. It was not an easy task, and it required a lot of hard work. We had evening classes, worked throughout the school holidays and worked on weekends,” said Buwa.
The transformation wasn’t immediate.
Buwa said that since the school had always been seen as an underperforming school, when the school year started in 2025, the matric learners did not see the vision the staff had in mind.
“Since the school was underperforming for many years, we wanted to work hard and change the identity of the school,” said Buwa.
He further said that at least 18 of the 54 learners had previously progressed and therefore needed a great deal of motivation.
Buwa said that they arranged a meeting with the learners and their parents to discuss a way forward to ensure that no learner was left battling on their own.
“By mid-year, we witnessed a transformation in our learners as they began to see results from their efforts and buy into the vision. This momentum continued into August, when even previously underperforming learners started demonstrating renewed commitment to their studies,” said Buwa.
A key element of the school’s approach was encouraging learners to expand their horizons.
“We always tell the learners that there is a world beyond the mountains of Kareedouw, and they bought into that vision. The learners then put in the hours and hard work to achieve their goals,” said Buwa.
Despite their efforts throughout the year, the exceptional results came as a surprise.
Buwa said that they were initially aiming for an 80% pass rate but were left speechless when they received confirmation of the results.
He said that it was a good feeling to know that the learners surpassed their expectations.
Among Quintiles one to three schools, the school has been ranked number 1 in the Humansdorp Community Management Centre (CMC), and in the Sarah Baartman District, it is number 16 on the list of top-performing schools.
Looking ahead to 2026, Buwa remains ambitious.
Buwa declared that this year they are targeting nothing less than a 96% pass rate, as the 2026 matric class has embraced the vision and believes it’s achievable.
He said that the staff must also maintain their dedication to ensure this dream remains alive.
“The year 2025 was not always smooth sailing. Looking ahead to 2026, the staff will work on improving the challenges that we had last year, remain consistent and further improve on what has already been working well,” said Buwa.
This remarkable transformation was made possible not only through the school’s internal efforts but also through strategic community partnerships, including significant support from the Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm.
Sindiswa Speelman, community development manager of Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm, said that when they first engaged the school, it was on the verge of closure due to persistent poor performance, with an average pass rate of 20% in the preceding years, with no Mathematics or Physical Science offered at the time.
Additional challenges included teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, learner transportation, and various social issues.
Speelman said that over the last three years, the Tsitsikamma Wind Farm Trust has invested more than R3.6 million towards the accommodation of Grade 12 learners at the nearby Paul Sauer High School’s hostel.
In addition, TWFT has invested around R1.7 million towards the school infrastructure development, the school governing body teachers and learners’ development.
Speelman said that thankfully, over the past three years, the school has demonstrated remarkable and consistent improvement.
“This extraordinary progress is a testament to the resilience of the learners, the dedication of educators, the support of partners, and the belief that meaningful change is possible,” said Speelman.
“We wish to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2025 and to everyone who played a role in this inspiring journey.”
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