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Top matric pass school pleads for recognition

BRIGHT SPARKS: The Grade 12pupils who obtained six distinctions each. From left, Robin Mathew, 18, Nshalati Mashao, 17, and Amukelani Maluleke, 18, with principal Hein Weber, from Khanyisa Education Centre in Giyani, Limpopo. Pic. Elijar Mushiana. 01/2008. © Sowetan.
BRIGHT SPARKS: The Grade 12pupils who obtained six distinctions each. From left, Robin Mathew, 18, Nshalati Mashao, 17, and Amukelani Maluleke, 18, with principal Hein Weber, from Khanyisa Education Centre in Giyani, Limpopo. Pic. Elijar Mushiana. 01/2008. © Sowetan.

Frank Maponya

Frank Maponya

The head of a private school in Limpopo has called on the provincial department of education to give his pupils the same recognition as that afforded to those in public schools.

Hein Weber, principal of Khanyisa Education Centre in Giyani, has accused the department of not having his pupils' interests at heart.

He said though his school was privately owned, his matriculants still wrote the same examinations set out by the department.

The school is situated about eight kilometres from Makosha village, near Giyani.

Of grave concern to Weber was the fact that his pupils were not recognised during the announcement of the best matriculants each year.

He said that though his school had poor resources, it was one of those that produced the best matric results every year. It had attained a 100percent pass rate for the past five years.

Khanyisa was established in 1989 and had registered 52 matriculants last year. Out of that number, only one failed to obtain a matric exemption.

Pupils that took higher grade maths and science passed the subjects, boasted Weber.

"Despite our performance in producing excellent matric results all these years, our pupils are still playing second fiddle compared to others from public schools. This is not fair," said Weber.

He said to show they were serious about their work, 12 of the 52 matriculants in last year's examinations had obtained A symbols.

Weber said this during a visit to Sowetan's offices in Polokwane, where he was accompanied by his school's top three pupils in last year's matric examinations.

They are Nshalati Mashao, 17, Amukelani Maluleke and Robin Mathew, both 18.

The three have obtained six A symbols each. They have all been accepted to pursue a BCom degree in accounting at the University of Cape Town.

"We are very proud of our achievements so far and nothing can stop us. But the treatment meted out to us by the department leaves much to be desired.

"I still believe fairness needs to be upheld when the pupils score excellent results and it doesn't matter which school they come from," said Weber.

Department head Zwo Nevhutalu said yesterday they limited recognition to government-owned schools only.

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