The Gauteng Educational terrain glimmers with pride as top performing township schools in the province accomplish astounding results in the 2023 National Senior Certificate exams. Daveyton Skills School located in the East Rand secured a spot in the Top 10 Performing Township Schools in the Gauteng Province with an astonishing 100% matric pass.
“Considering that Daveyton Skills School is not one of the mainstream schools, but a school which caters for learners with academic disabilities ranging from dyslexia to ADHD, I am proud of the learners for raising the banner of the school so high through securing a 100% pass”, Principal BGN Letsoele excitedly said. The class of 2023 was the first in the school to write and be examined on the same NSC matric that mainstream schools are examined on. “This was a dream we’ve fought for as a school, following a question raised on one of District meetings about the inexistence of matric in schools for academically disadvantaged learners”, Letsoele added.
Letsoele also stated that quite often the learners who are academically disadvantaged battle with self-esteem and self-confidence especially when they engage with other learners from mainstream schools. Being granted the prerogative to write NSC matric exams along with other learners from mainstream schools was a beacon of hope for their career pursuits and aspirations.
Letsoele also mentioned that being experienced in teaching in mainstream schools and a skills school for the academically disadvantaged, she has noted that the exam season during which learning is not continuous in schools is commonly one of the reasons why learners often do not do well in their exams. “You will rarely find learners at the library studying during this period, they often have their books open but not studying, this comfort space outside of the classroom with no accountability contributes to poor results”, said Letsoele.
To avoid and triumph over the possibility of obtaining bad results, Daveyton Skills School under the leadership of Letsoele ensures that their learners are kept in the classroom being taught even during the exam season. Letsoele stated that this helps them monitor the learners to ensure that they are preparing for exams and grants the learners the opportunity to ask any pressing questions they may have.
“I am proud of my learners for producing stellar results, I would also commend the staff and fellow educators for their continuous sacrifices, going an extra mile to ensure that the learners do well. A good team is essential to obtain these exceptional results and the learners are blessed to have such,” Letsoele concluded.