FOR the fourth consecutive year, Soqhayisa Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape achieved a 100% matric pass.
The school from Motherwell in Nelson Mandela Bay, which was known for all the wrong things, is now a shining example.
When Mlungisi Nopote, the school's principal took over the reins in 2008, he promised the school good results and to change its bad name.
“When I got here in 2008, we only had about 275 pupils but now we have 1 600 pupils. In grade 12, there were about 22 pupils but now we have more than 300 pupils. It’s because of hard work and discipline. I believe that teaching is God’s work. It is what God wants and we must make sure as teachers that we are teaching the learners," said Mlungisi.
He said hard work and discipline are normal practices for the school as they have extra classes and it's part of their system.
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"Sometimes teachers will teach until 5pm, and sometimes we will decide to teach until 10pm. The first camp was held during trial exams, and it ended at 10pm, and the second camp was held in October for the finals,” he said.
Mlungisi shared that in October, during the finals camp, teachers focused on preparing pupils for their exams because they understood the challenges faced by many in the kasi.
"We keep them in our school because we know and understand the socio-economic condition of our kasi and all the things that happen at home. So, we decided to have them here and make sure that they are in front of our eyes when they are studying. As a result, we made history in Nelson Mandela Bay as there is no school from the kasi that has ever achieved these results,” he said.
Three pupils from Soqhayisa - Aviweyo Ngoyi (17), Anathi Tshonga (18), and Gcobani Hoyi (18) - achieved seven distinctions each.
Another top achiever, Zusakhe Mayekiso (18), said he's happy to be counted among the top achievers.
"These are the results of hard work, determination, and sacrifice. I sacrificed friends and groove to achieve these because I always had a vision of taking my parents out of poverty. The only thing that will help me to achieve my dreams is to take my studies seriously,” he said.
