Tebogo Monama
Tebogo Monama
Tinus du Preez, principal of a remedial school for children with learning disabilities, is proud of his institution's success.
The School of Achievement in Elspark, Germiston, caters for pupils with special educational needs because of dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But the pupils compete with others at the best mainstream schools.
The school draws its Grade 1 to Grade 12 pupils from throughout Ekurhuleni. For the past eight years the school has achieved a 100percent matric pass rate.
Du Preez said: "With the introduction of the new curriculum, we were worried that our pupils would not cope.
"Most of them usually took their subjects in lower or standard grade. We thought that with pupils writing their matric in one grade our pupils would suffer.
" Instead, last year's matric class all passed their exams and six earned a university entrance.
"Our curriculum is the same as at mainstream schools. And because our pupils are different, we have a curriculum adaptation.
"This means that we have to write in larger print and then transfer lessons onto CDs.
"When it comes to exams, pupils who have difficulty reading are given oral exams.
"The teachers ask them the exam question and then type out [the answers] for them verbatim."
The 700 pupils have 56 teachers, 20 therapists, a nurse and six teacher aides. Each class accommodates 20 pupils.
A school of learning achievement
Tebogo Monama
Tebogo Monama
Tinus du Preez, principal of a remedial school for children with learning disabilities, is proud of his institution's success.
The School of Achievement in Elspark, Germiston, caters for pupils with special educational needs because of dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But the pupils compete with others at the best mainstream schools.
The school draws its Grade 1 to Grade 12 pupils from throughout Ekurhuleni. For the past eight years the school has achieved a 100percent matric pass rate.
Du Preez said: "With the introduction of the new curriculum, we were worried that our pupils would not cope.
"Most of them usually took their subjects in lower or standard grade. We thought that with pupils writing their matric in one grade our pupils would suffer.
" Instead, last year's matric class all passed their exams and six earned a university entrance.
"Our curriculum is the same as at mainstream schools. And because our pupils are different, we have a curriculum adaptation.
"This means that we have to write in larger print and then transfer lessons onto CDs.
"When it comes to exams, pupils who have difficulty reading are given oral exams.
"The teachers ask them the exam question and then type out [the answers] for them verbatim."
The 700 pupils have 56 teachers, 20 therapists, a nurse and six teacher aides. Each class accommodates 20 pupils.
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