Victor Mecoamere

Victor Mecoamere

Kgononyane High School has turned over a new leaf.

So said the school's proud principal Mosala Mothibi.

The school, in Ganyesa in North West, obtained a 72 percent matric pass in last year's Senior Certificate examinations.

"These are the best results produced at the school since Kgononyane was established in 1994.

"Success is attributed to the cooperation between the teachers, parents and pupils," Mothibi said.

Kgononyane has been working very hard after 600 pupils in Grades 8 to 12 failed in 2006.

Caretaker deputy principal Walter Mabogola helped steer the school to a 44 percent matric pass, and a good improvement in the lower Grades in 2007.

Mothibi and his management team, Kate Mangena, Mapule Selesanyeng, Thatayaone Rabanyane and Itumeleng Gaebuelwe, built on the success by strengthening the management team, improving motivation and morale among the teachers and initiating extra morning and afternoon classes throughout 2008 as well as intensive study camps between October and December last year.

"The extra classes were well attended," Mothibi said.

"The camps were compulsory. Most of the pupils in Grade 12 and in the lower grades worked hard throughout this period.

"We are proud of our pupils who have passed and we will support our pupils who came short. Hopefully the results in Grades 8 to 12 will improve each year."

Kgononyane is one of Sowetan's nation-building projects under the youth development activities of the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation.

Sowetan has helped the school to collect books that form the bulk of the reading and reference matter at Kgononyane's mobile library. The newspaper also gave shoes to several pupils from poor homes.

Mothibi said he was relieved that the school now had running water and the toilets in Kgononyane's administration block were working properly.