ITHEMBA has risen from the ashes of the old Tladi Technical High School to become one of the best schools in Soweto

The old Tladi school was dysfunctional with lazy teachers and indifferent pupils. Today it is a beacon of light in education, thanks to a new staff and vision.

"Tladi had a rich history and was relevant to its time. Ithemba Institute of Technology is a different school. We give our pupils the opportunity to gain skills that the economy and industry require," principal Uzendt Peters says.

The school prepares pupils for careers in engineering. Grade 8 is the intake class and the school places a high premium on mathematics and science.

"The country does not have enough engineering skills and we are bleeding in areas of IT, electronics, fitting and turning and so on.

"We need to build maths and science in Soweto. We focus on maths and science and source the best teachers so that we can form a great foundation at the lower grades," says Peters.

Ithemba runs two separate entities: an academic high school and an FET college. It teaches mainstream matric and technical subjects. It also has an adult education section.

Interested industries take part in the governance of the school and supply the skills needed by pupils. The companies allow access to their workplaces. As a result, the pupils pass with technical skills that will set them up for life and further learning.

"Our intention is to give our pupils exposure to industry at an early age so that they grow up knowing the requirements of the working world. In turn, industry is involved in what we do.

"This strategy has worked because industry has responded and our school is properly resourced and equipped," Peters says.

Ithemba is an independent school that does not turn poor pupils away.

It has raised its pass rate from 77 percent in 2009 to 100 percent last year. It has small classes and a total number of 390 pupils. The school has good communications with the parents and the community.

"They are fully involved, they don't just dump children and go off."

Ithemba's turnaround strategy has worked because the staff got the basics right.

"Classes start at 7.45am and every learner must be in on time. Each teacher must also be in class and must teach. We have killed the notion of 'African time'.

"We work hard to make the small things work and that is why there is discipline."

The school also works hard at building the character of the pupils. They are taught that the privilege of being in school comes with the responsibility to do well.

"We encourage the learners to know how much good there is in them. Once they know this, they know they have a special responsibility to do all to learn and appreciate the opportunity."

The skills development facilitator at Scania, Ntsotiseng Matsoso, says Ithemba pupils are very different from other learners as their standards are high.

"We maintain workplace exposure, theory and training in Scania products.

"I am proud to say that we have employed female mechanics from Ithemba," Matsoso says.