There is no perfect time than now, as the Namakwa District school heads expressed joyous feeling over to matriculates results on Tuesday, January 13. This comes as the 2025 matric class produced 90.5%, reclaiming first position in the province as they came in second place in 2024 with 85.9%.
Leading by an example of having a vision under the hands of principal Stanley Thiart, SA Van Wyk High School showed progression in the last four years from 54% (2022) to 84% (2025) matric results with less resources.
“When we began with our transformation, we as a team bought into total holistic learner improvement. We thought outside the box, we recreated the wheel and carried the slogan that Bergsig pupils deserve better in our hearts,” said Thiart. “The biggest change of the results was due to the quality of education provided by the teachers in ensuring they produce outstanding passing results – in light was from the previous years.”
According to Thiart, what made it possible was team work – working towards the same vision and cooperation of the pupil’s willingness to learn to better themselves and their communities. “In yielding the positive outcome that everyone is proud of, the credit goes to the SA Van Wyk teamwork as well as the community who were right beside us.”
In an interview with NFM News, Thiary further revealed that they are moving their pedagogy to digital, for which, it will start with the Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics-Innovation (STEMI) subjects. This comes as the school installed 10 screens in their classes, providing the pupils with virtual education experience and expanding their knowledge beyond traditional learning using textbooks.
The Nababeep High School in the Nama-Khoi Municipal area expressed gratitude to the teacher’s determination and the community in reaching their hand in assisting in producing results from 79% (2024) to 89% (2025) despite the educator’s shortage.
Principal Maureen Cloete said that the pupils gave their all to attending after-classes (winter and Sunday’s). “This year, we are all about discipline and punctuality, as we will be taking it upon ourselves to ensure that every learner attends school and no one is left behind,” she said.
Cloete urged parents and guardians to cooperate in ensuring that the pupils are uniformed and neat, giving them confidence and ready to tackle academics “which will boost the willingness to learn.”
Alexander Bay High School, based in Richtersveld Municipal, has recorded a 90.3% pass rate in 2025 matric exams, with 28 out of 31 students passing and another 3 students progressing.
Principal Jak Andreas Christiaan said he was grateful to matriculate in working hard from the pass rate of 2024 (75%). The improvement showed determination from the learners, hard work, and extra effort from the teachers and supporting staff. Christiaan said that maintaining the standard will be the way to go for school in the 2026 academic year.
Meanwhile, O’Kiep High School principal Liana Jordaan said the record of an 89.7% pass rate in 2025 matric exams is a testament to where there’s a will there’s a way, with 26 out of 29 students passing. Jordaan said that by 2026, the same teaching strategy will be implemented.
