As part of the Oversight School Monitoring Programme, Basic Education Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, visited the Sinenjongo High School and Bloubergrant High School in Cape Town in the Western Cape Province on 7 February 2024. The aim of the visit was to motivate the Class of 2024 to work hard to improve their academic performance and to assess the school’s state of readiness.

During her visits to the schools, the Deputy Minister received a briefing on the academic performance of both schools. In 2023, Sinenjongo High School achieved an average pass rate of 89.5%, an improvement of 2,5% from the 87% achieved in 2022. In the year 2023, the matric class of Bloubergrant High School obtained a pass rate of 92%, a decline of 6,3% from 98.3% achieved in 2022.

Deputy Minister Mhaule encouraged the Class of 2024 to raise the bar by investing sufficient study time to perform better than the Class of 2023 and urged the teachers to provide the necessary support, working as a team towards achieving a common goal. “To the Class of 2024, do not procrastinate on your daily tasks and ask for help where you do not understand. Submit your assignments on time. You become unstoppable when you are focused on accomplishing your goal. I believe that this class will achieve nothing less than 100%,” Dr Mhaule advised.