Inspirational teaching sees Walmer High School matrics celebrate 100% pass rate in maths

Walmer High School mathematics teacher Songezo Mtati has been teaching his matrics since 6 January. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)

By Estelle Ellis

17 Jan 2025

At Walmer High School, a no-fee township school in Gqeberha, very few of the more than 2,000 learners wanted to do pure maths until a new teacher, Songezo Mtati, who was only 26 years old, came to class — with a plan. As matric results were released on Monday, 13 January 2025, he wrote on social media: 'Finally I managed to get 100% in MATHEMATICS. I’ve been fighting for this. Thanks to you all, Class of 2024.'

“So I tell people that God sent this one, this wonderful Mr Mtati, to me,” legendary principal Lunga Dyani from Walmer High School said as he walked down the passage of his school. “But I had to go steal him.”

In 2022 the young, soft-spoken mathematics teacher, only 26 years old, with the natural talent for mathematics was teaching in a governing body post at another high school when Dyani, who does not take no for an answer, arrived with an offer of permanent employment. Mtati said yes.

Mtati teaches in a class where there are no working lights and nothing but a blackboard and chalk. But on the walls he stuck motivational quotes for his learners. Most prominently, one from Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

“That is the first thing I teach them,” he said, “you must want it.”

Another poster explains what he believes mathematics requires: Memory, Action, Thinking, Hard Work, Enthusiasm, Mind, Attention, Tact, Interest, Creativity and Sincerity.

We speak to him after 2pm but the learners are already arriving for extra classes.

“They are writing their second test already next week,” he said. He has been teaching since 6 January.

In 2024 his matric mathematics class got a 100% pass rate and two distinctions. The provincial pass rate for mathematics is 62%.

On Thursday, Dyani was still celebrating. The school obtained excellent results, a 96.2% pass rate — and the Class of 2025 is already working hard.

“And look,” he said, sweeping his arms around, “it is the second day of school and we are already teaching. We have no time to waste.”

The school’s garden is already immaculate and cleaners are bustling around cleaning and removing cardboard boxes that arrived with stationery and handbooks.

Dyani said it took a community to get their 2024 results on par with the Model C schools close by. An exam camp to prepare for the exams saw the children stay at school 24 hours a day with the local taxi association providing security as the school is in an area known for violent crime, and parents coming to school to cook for their children. Gift of the Givers provided school supplies and also installed a borehole and an osmosis filtration system at the school to make sure there is always water.

“I was hoping for 100% because I am retiring in June,” he said. “But I will take it!”

Since 2017, when it was 73.6%, the school’s pass rate has been climbing steadily.

But it is the achievement of his “wonderful Mr Mtati”, as he describes his maths teacher, that makes Dyani very proud.

Mtati, originally from Mount Frere (now known as KwaBhaca) in the Eastern Cape, said he has been helping learners with mathematics since he was in Grade 11.

Walmer High School maths teacher Songezo Mtati in his classroom. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)

Walmer High School principal Lunga Dyani at school on Thursday, 16 January 2025. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)

“The teachers were complimenting me,” he said. He added that he had been helping his brother, who is older than him, with maths since he was nine years old.

“That was I decided I am going to focus on mathematics and spend time with it because it will take me somewhere. When it came to maths I was someone because I could help other children,” he said. A lot of learners do not understand mathematics, but I teach them a way to do it. I will explain how I understand it,” he said.

He completed his degree at Nelson Mandela University and graduated in 2020.

“Originally I did not apply for university, but my teachers applied for me,” he said.

Permanent post

He was teaching at Morningside High School in Gqeberha when Dyani found him in 2022 and brought him to Walmer High School in a permanent post.

He first taught Grade 8 and Grade 11 learners, but the next year he taught his first Grade 12 class.

“Grade 8 is very important because that really is where your Grade 12 maths starts,” he said. “If you lose your maths there it is going to be difficult for you to understand.”

In 2024, he told his Grade 12 class he was looking for a 100% pass rate.

“It requires a lot of work and commitment to be in my class,” he said. “I don’t think maths is difficult, but you have to work with the learners’ mindset first. They must want to do well. More than anything motivation is so important. Once they want it, it is easy for them to practice and to pass.

“I saw them when they came to fetch their results. They came to fetch me at the car and my car was still in motion when they tried to take me out of the car,” he said.

Two of his learners got 85% for maths.

“When I teach Grade 12 I work with my learners as if I have never met them before,” Mtati said. “We start from Grade 8. We spend a lot of time at school. Then we do Grade 9, 10 and 11 and then Grade 12. We are here on weekends and we work long hours.

“It is good for my heart that I can help them be their best,” he said.

Mtati said he finished the Grade 12 syllabus in the July holidays and then in the third term he focused on those who were not doing so well. Those who have passed the June exams with higher marks would be put into groups to let them help and support each other.

I also offer a lot of prizes

“I also offer a lot of prizes,” he said. “The children struggle to see what hard work will bring them. Our children do not know about the future. So I have to set a goal for three weeks.”

The dad of three young children said that for these goals he grouped the weaker learners with his strong students and then frequently offered a cash prize, from his own money, for the group with the highest average.

Mtati has been teaching his new matrics since 6 January 2025. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)

“I give them R100, R75 for second place and R50 for third place. So those with the high marks are taking their classmates up to keep their average high,” he said. “Let me tell you they want that R100!

“But I don’t allow the weakest ones to compete with my top performers because I don’t want them to become demotivated, so I put them in their own group.”

He said he also paid R1,000 for every distinction. “It will help them to travel to university,” he said.

He only had a small matric class taking maths in 2024, but this year the numbers almost doubled.

“I think the learners are developing confidence that it can be done,” he said.

“When I got the results I was very happy. When the learners came to me to say thank you I was so grateful that I had made a difference in their lives. They recognise the hard work that we did during the year. Yesterday they started telling me where they were accepted at university. I am helping them to make sure they have everything they need for university. My learners from previous years even send me their results from university.” DM

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