Five years ago, a KwaNobuhle high school was on the brink of closure, as conflict among teachers led to matric results declining and pupil numbers dwindling as parents sought better schooling elsewhere.
But a passionate principal and a revived teaching staff helped Thanduxolo Comprehensive School to rise from the ashes, and the class of 2023 achieved a pass rate of 88.2%.
When former pupil Andile Mbengashe returned to his old school and took over as principal in 2005, the matric pass rate had dropped to below 10%.
Internal politics among staff caused teaching to suffer and many of the teachers were approaching retirement age and were just waiting out their days before going on pension.
These challenges led parents to take their children out of the school, and in 2018 less than 100 pupils remained.
This prompted the Eastern Cape education department to consider shutting down the school.
“At that stage, I had been working hard to right the ship, but change was slow.
“Luckily, the department didn’t close us down and all the measures we had put in place started bearing fruit,” Mbengashe said.
In 2020, the school’s matric pass rate was 29%, improving to 53% and 69% in the next two years.
“As the older teachers left, I started recruiting straight out of university. We brought new life into the school.
“Some of the teachers who were there when I became principal were my teachers when I was still a pupil.
“I have always had a deep passion for teaching, and I like to think that my passion carried over to the younger teachers who joined our team.
“This in turn motivated our pupils, and we slowly saw them regain interest in their studies.”
The school implemented additional learning programmes, including summer schools and study camps during holidays.
Mbengashe used the budget from certain projects at the school to revamp other areas, adding geysers for hot water and setting up makeshift sleeping facilities where the 17 matrics could stay during their study camps and exams.
The school’s staff soon realised the biggest barrier to their pupils’ success was the challenging circumstances at home and in the surrounding community.
However, this meant Mbengashe and his staff had to sacrifice much of their own time and resources to assist the pupils.
“I am their science teacher, and I had four pupils who I would pick up from home in my car and drive them to school, additional classes, and even study programmes at other schools,” he said.
“Sometimes, I would only drop them at home at 9pm, but seeing that 88.2% pass rate made it all worthwhile.”
Mbengashe also sacrificed time at home with his son, who was completing grade 12 at Muir College.
However, he is happy to report that his son’s results are good enough for him to start his studies in psychology this year.
The turnaround at Thanduxolo Comprehensive has restored the faith of parents and the school’s enrolment now is just shy of 300 pupils.
Support from the surrounding community, through donations and sponsorships from individuals and businesses, helped fund some of the programmes the school launched, and Mbengashe said he greatly appreciated their continued support.
“This year we will start with our interventions even earlier.
“More study camps, extra classes and strict attendance monitoring will be implemented immediately.
“Getting to 88% is just half the battle. If we want to maintain this success and build on it, the real hard work starts now,” Mbengashe said.
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