The picturesque village of Bonnivale in the Western Cape, beyond the lush, green vineyards and towering mountains, is a community plagued by many social ills. However, there is a beacon of hope that stands tall – the Jakes Gerwel Technical School.
The state-of-the-art school, surrounded by the Langeberge and Riversonderend Mountains, recently produced their second crop of matrics. The school obtained a pass rate of 85%, of which 24% were bachelor passes and 55% diploma passes, exceeding all expectations.
Among the 922 034 matric learners countrywide who sat for the 2022 national exams, was Stacey Claasen, one of the top achievers at Jakes Gerwel Technical (JGT) School.
For 18-year-old Claassen, this is a moment that will stay with her for a very long time.
“I am very happy about my results! At first, I was stressed out, but now that I have seen them, I am very relieved,” she said.
“When I woke up [on 20 January 2023], I had butterflies in my stomach because I knew that I was going to get my results. When I got them, I wondered why I’d been nervous in the first place.”
Claassen, explains that her results were a surprise to her family and friends, who had a perception that she had not been studying enough. However, despite their doubts, she says they are very proud of her.
“My plan for this year is that I am going to study technical engineering and [I have] managed to register,” she said.
“All I want to say to the matriculants of [2023] is to keep your head up high and focus. Believe in yourself and never give up. There is always a chance to do something great in life.”
A school of hope
Social ills – from drug and alcohol abuse, to teenage pregnancies, and few opportunities – reflect in the high school dropout rate, forcing many of the young people that reside here into a life of crime.
But despite these difficult circumstances, Bonnievale is the epitome of persistence endemic to a typical rural farming community in Mzansi.
JGT principal Albert Mocke knows this all too well.
Beaming proudly with this year’s pass rate, Mocke said he looks to the matrics and staff with gratitude, and believes it was their combined teamwork to better the previous year’s results.
“We are very, very thankful, and very excited about our matric results from our 2022 group. We obtained an 85% pass rate which includes 24% bachelor and 55% diploma passes, so we are very happy and thankful for our learners who worked very hard,” he explained.
“What motivated our learners to be this success is the fact that we present a course that gives them access to the work field out there. We offer technical, agricultural and services subjects, and this gives them direct access to further education and the world of work. It guarantees immediate access to success after university.”
He told Food For Mzansi that all the matrics who did not succeed, would be assisted with rewriting some of the subjects to help them gain their grade 12 certificate and he has placed a support structure in place that will assist the students.
Onus on the learners
For the year ahead, Mocke is planning on building with the foundations that have been set in place and strengthening the lower grades. He wants to ensure that the young school learns from previous mistakes and works hard on its third group of matriculants.
“With all the plans that we have starting with the lower grades, we are aiming for this year [to be] a good one. It is the responsibility of the learner to make a success. We can put everything in place and have all the support structures, but the learner must still do their part,” he said.
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