MBOMBELA – The Penreach Saturday Tutorial Programme delivered on its promise of educational excellence as its target schools’ maths and science learners achieved above average results during the 2014 National Senior Certificate examinations.
Grade 10 to 12 pupils of Cyril Clarke, Fundinjobo, Hlanganani, Makhosana, Mthombo and Sabane secondary schools all form part of Penreach’s tutorial programme, which focuses on improving performance in science and maths.
“We placed our efforts on the subject matter at hand as well as focusing on providing a space to complete practical experiments at the Shalamuka Science Centre,” said Ian Sibanda of Penreach’s maths and science department.
This has paid off with the 59 learners who participated in the programme achieving 18 distinctions, with 63 per cent obtaining above 50 per cent in maths and physical science.
Mtombo Secondary School moved up from a 60,5 per cent overall pass rate in 2013 to 88,2 per cent in 2014, with Hlanganani achieving a 100 per cent pass rate in physical science.
According to Sibanda, both the schools’ learners and staff are coached and assisted to ensure that standards are maintained and that children understand the learning material.
“We hold quarterly assessment and training camps where we evaluate the readiness of the learners. The value of maths and science cannot be underestimated as these are gateway subjects to a brighter future,” he said.
Penreach would also like to focus on teacher training to motivate them and to create a better understanding with the pupils for a long-term impact on education.
“We will focus our interventions on curriculum coverage and pedagogical content knowledge of teachers in future,” stated Andile Ncontsa, Penreach CEO.