THE principals of Gauteng high schools that had achieved a pass rate below 40% in last year's matric exams will have a lot to explain when they meet provincial education officials.

Gauteng education spokesman Charles Phahlane confirmed yesterday that the department's head, Boy Ngobeni, would meet EACH OF THE PRINCIPALS "individually".

Eight schools recorded a pass rate below 40% last year.

These were Jabulani Technical Secondary School, Davey Secondary School, Zikhethele Secondary School (39.81%) Thuto-Tiro Comprehensive (38.68%), Edward Phatudi Secondary School (36.63%) Sizanani Thusanang Comprehensive School (34.78%), Johannesburg Hospital School (33.33%) and Mahlenga Secondary School (30%).

Jabulani Technical Secondary School, which had always fared poorly in the past, achieved an appalling 16% pass rate. In all, 206 pupils at the school sat down for exams but only 33 passed.

In 2010, 122 matriculants wrote exams but only 39 passed - representing a 31.97% pass rate.

But the biggest drop was recorded at Davey Secondary School in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg.

The school - whose pass rate climbed to 74,44% in 2010 - recorded a pass rate of 39,56% last year.

About 91 pupils wrote their exams, but only 36 passed as compared to the previous year in which 67 out of 90 pupils had passed.

Phahlane said: "The head of department (Ngobeni) will meet principals individually to ask them why their schools obtained such low pass rates.

"After these meetings the department will assess the schools to establish what support they need."

Phahlane said the schools would be placed under the department's Secondary School Improvement Programme, which was implemented in 2010 to assist poor performing schools.

The programme - which provided extra tuition support for grades 10, 11 and 12 pupils in Gauteng - assisted some of the province's schools to achieve a higher pass rate.

Phahlane said R190000 was budgeted for the programme over the last two years.