Limpopo school scores close to a 100% pass rate, and it’s all a joint effort, says principal

Three years ago Raserite Secondary School in Limpopo scored a disappointing 46% matric pass.

Now the school in Ga-Seleka, one of the remotest parts of the province, is celebrating a 96.4% pass rate for 2023. It scored 76.4% the previous year.

Principal Noko Maremane, who joined the school in 2020, attributed the improvement to joint efforts by residents, teachers, pupils and the traditional authority.

Maremane said the school had held three camps for matrics and Grade 11s since June. The last camp was held just two weeks before the start of the end-of-year exams.

“One of our key ingredients for success is to ensure that the learners head straight to class once they enter the school grounds,” said Maremane.

The Grade 11s and 12s start school as early as 6am and finish at 5pm.

When they go into camp, the school procures the services of external teachers to complement its teaching staff.

Maremane said they also used previous matric exams to drill their pupils further in their preparation.

Raserite is in an area with high levels of poverty. Most of the pupils have their only meal of the day at school as part of the National School Nutrition Programme. At the end of the term teachers club together to buy meals for pupils who would otherwise go hungry without the programme’s meals.

“Our understanding is that a learner who comes to school hungry will not be able to concentrate,” said Maremane.

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The school achieved 15 distinctions. A total of 28 pupils sat the exams and only one didn’t pass.

One of the top achievers in the province, who earned a 100% pass in accounting, comes from Raserite.

Early in 2023, Maremane, who also teaches the Grade 12 mathematics class, gave the pupil one of his cellphones to help her to access the internet and download important material.

“Everyone wants the learners to succeed. Teachers, the community members – everyone supports our efforts,” said Maremane. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.