Turnaround strategy yields impressive results for Athlone School for the Blind
1 March 2024
Athlone School for the Blind’s class of 2023 helped the institution to shake off its “at risk” label.
Schools that achieve below 60% in the National Senior Certificate examinations are regarded as underperforming.
The principal, Dr John Philander, said the school’s matric pass rate of 92,9% and Bachelor’s pass rate of 42,9% catapulted them out of a three-year slump.
“We have been a school at risk for the last three years. In order to achieve better in Grade 12, we had to work on a plan. We consequently made the decision to implement a focused strategy in order to improve our results. Using our 2022 results as a base, we were able to enhance our 2023 matric outcomes by 31,8%. We also succeeded in enhancing our Bachelor's passes. During target settings, educators urged learners to put in more effort in order to graduate with a matric certificate they could be proud of.”
The school’s turnaround strategy included extra classes on Saturdays, after-school classes during the week and academic contact sessions during breaks.
Emphasis was placed on discipline and Grade 12 learners were held accountable throughout the year, especially with regards to their school-based assessment activities.
“When learners underperform, they become demotivated. To assist all our learners, we implemented a mentorship programme. Through this programme, we periodically assess learners to make sure they are still on track, emotionally stable and able to meet their academic objectives.”
Dr Philander added that all Grade 12 learners were accommodated at the school hostel so that their diligence to their work could be observed. “Their steadfast dedication and the diligence of our Grade 12 educators undoubtedly contributed to the 2023 Grade 12 results.”
Two of the school’s learners were amongst the top matric candidates in the country. Samkelo Gumada was announced as the top special needs education candidate and Victor Mapolisa ranked third in the same category.
“We are ecstatic that two of our learners placed in the top three in the country at the Department of Basic Education’s awards for the Special School Education category. They serve as real-life examples of people who can succeed despite marginalisation and impairment. They truly serve as an inspiration for other learners at our school.”
“They were driven, showed steadfast dedication to their academic work and adhered to a daily study schedule. They put forth a lot of effort, had a strong work ethic and were always willing to lend a hand to other learners. They both had a very challenging childhood and were marginalised because of their disability, but they were always goal-oriented and motivated to improve their own situation and to go to university for further studies after school.”
