From The Principal MR. T.B. Dumakude

FOREWORD

1. THE DOWN MOMENTS, HIGHLIGHTS & TRIBUTES

• We finished the year, 2021 on a very sad note having lost a cog and a great ISIZULU HOME LANGUAGE educator, Miss NS Ngema aka Ngemo, who, after, a long battle with sickness finally succumbed. It has not been a great start to 2022 either as hardly a month after the school re-opening we lost our Grade 10 day-learner through a tragic car accident. As if that was not enough two more learners passed on, at spatial intervals, through natural causes. The death of Mangazi TC, the History educator who passed on the 3^rd of October added salt to already bleeding wound, MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN ETERNAL PEACE.
• We bade our farewell to the old warhorses, our security guards, Mr MZ Mbatha and Mr BL Mbatha and our long-serving groundsman Mr MA Zitha who all went for a well-deserved retirement. Mr LI Ntshangase, our admin officer who had become much of a key figure in our administration office left to take up a permanent teaching post. We congratulate and wish him well in his future aspirations. Parting ways with Mr TK Mavimbela, our Physical Sciences educator and Mr BE Ntshangase, the History educator was a bitter pill to swallow, nonetheless we wish them very well in their future endevours.   
• The Coronation of the King Misuzulu kaZwelithini kaBhekuzulu was a historical moment for us as the Zulu nation at large, LIBUYE LAPHUMA ILANGA KWAZULU and the celebrations thereof in schools right across the length and breadth of the KZN Province made this year’s September HERITAGE MONTH forever cherishable.   
• Our ISIZULU HOME LANGUAGE educator, Miss SK Mbhele’s new record of 51 A’s in her maiden matric presentation stole all the shine at this years matric’ awards function, NDLELA kaSOMPISI.
• We made major strides, hoisting the maroon & white flag skyhigh, to reach Provincial and District levels of the competitions with our Choir and Soccer Team respectively.
• Receiving the donation of sports kits from the Dept of Sports, Arts and Culture is also one of the major highlights.       

1. ON THE ACADEMIC FRONT
2. 1. RESULTS’ ANALYSIS (Although we dropped from 93.7-91.1 % in 2021 in the matric pass rate, there are few positives to celebrate)

• There are subjects, such as Agricultural Sciences, CAT which are consistently performing at 100% and we applaud the subject Economics’ return to the elite 100% league.
• We recorded an improvement in quality in the Life Sciences, Isizulu Home Language, Business Studies and Visual Arts.
• An increase in Passes in Physical Sciences and History respectively cannot go unnoticed.
• Stability especially in Mathematics right across all the grades has been a missing piece of the puzzle and achieving it in the recent two years has brought in so much relief.
• The revamped English Academy has notably brought about very positive spin-offs to the culture of teaching and learning as well as the tone befitting of an academic environment.
• The Matric Extended Tuition Programme has also brought in so much discipline expected and which is characteristic of well-performing schools.

2.2  STAFFING AND THE QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

• The PYEI Phase 111 provided us with 12 Educational Assistants and 3 General Assistants. The project provided a lot of additional manpower and expertise in quite a number of areas. The programme successfully unveiled 3 individuals , Miss Buthelezi and Mr M Mncube who, after impressing and proving their worth , the school appointed on a full-time basis.
• New staff-members in the persons of Mpanza MG, the late Mangazi TC, (both as educators) as well as Dladla S, the admin officer are the new additions into our fold. . Four of our SGB-employed educators were permanently employed by the Department of Basic Education.
• Academic year 2023 will see our first presentation of technical subjects, our EGD and Electrical Technology at matric level.
• Closing on the list of our new acquisitions are Mr S Mathe, the Maths educator, and Mr T. Mbatha, our groundsman.
• Once after a long time we have had a qualified educator for each subject.

2.3. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

2.3.1 WHOLE SCHOOL

• To improve the attainment of learning outcomes of all learners at all levels
• To increase the number of learners passing Mathematics and Science at 50% and above across all grades-
• To improve the quality of teaching and learning at both GET and FET bands
• To implement accountability and consequent management systems at all levels
• To align the school with promises of the 4IR
• To arrest the decline in the overall Matric Pass rate
• Monitoring the control of informal tasks at GET and FET
• LTSM control and retrieval.
• General discipline
• Improving competence in LOLT through English academy activities – Reading and Debate activities
• Information Technology in teaching and Learning activities
• Physical fitness of learners through sports, Recreation and entertainment
• Utilizations of all periods for tuition-tasks on time and tutorials
• Curriculum coverage for Gr.12 by the end of June/July holidays and by the end of the 3^rd term for internal classes
• Compliance with homework/class work policy.
• Expanded opportunities for learners with difficulties
• Enrichment opportunities for highflyers
• Stakeholder involvement in the curriculum delivery
• Improving efficiency in first-line class management.

2.3.2 THE GRADE 12 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• To improve the overall Pass Percentage in the October / November Final Examinations.
• To improve the quality of Passes by increasing the number of Bachelor Passes
• To increase the number of subjects obtaining 100% in the OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Final Examinations
• To increase the number of learners obtaining level 6 and above in Mathematics and Physical Sciences(Highflyers)
• Totally eliminating Passes at HC(Higher Certificate)in the coming 2022 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Examinations
• To increase the Matric Pass rate from 91,1-100%
• To increase the number of Bachelor Passes by 15% in the 2022 National Senior Certificate
• Towards building a better and conducive physical environment for quality teaching and learning
• Towards developing and administering formal and informal tasks which are guided by Exam guidelines
• Conducting full-scale/ ATP-scaled half-yearly and preparatory Exams

       2.3.3 2022 LAST PUSH PROGRAMME FOCUS AREAS

FOCUS AREA 1: IMPROVEMENT OF PERFORMANCE IN STRATEGIC BIG SUBJECTS (WITH HUGE ENROLMENTS)

Excluding the languages and L.O our subjects with huge enrolments are Geography, Life Sciences, Maths, Physical Sciences and Business Studies and Economics when using 80 as a threshold. We have allocated extra resources to supplement our efforts, as well as extra tuition plans in the morning, evening and weekends.

FOCUS AREA 2: IMPROVEMENT OF PERFORMANCE OF LEARNERS AT RISK.

In the First Term only 8 out 231 learners did not pass. After completing ATP’s on the 26^th of August we had to identify all struggling learners per subject in order to design level-specific programs and interventions. All interventions had to intensify assessment, utilizing diverse techniques and resources such as  exam guidelines. A close monitoring, “micro wave:’’ approach focusing mainly on class attendance, assessment and reporting to learners, teachers, SMT and other stakeholders was adopted as a strategy. The district SNES had to be engaged for learners at risk because of substance abuse and other social ills.

FOCUS AREA 3: SENSITIZING EVERYONE THROUGH THE COUNTDOWN & MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGES.

The selected learners in Grade12 and the rest of the matric educators made it their habit to drop inspirational WhatsApp messages on a daily basis. Daily uploads of lesson content and previous Exam question papers in almost all the subjects was a constant activity.

FOCUS AREA 4: EXTENDED TUITION PROGRAMME .

Since early February the school designed a monitored evening extra-tuition Programme for all matric subjects with a special bias to Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and Accounting. Morning classes in Geography and Mathematics started very early in the year.  The June/ July and September /October Holidays were, as a tradition, earmarked for schooling with all subjects fully attended to, although this year’s September/October holiday schooling was marred by the sad hospitalization and the final passing on of Miss Mangazi TC. Our Revision program which formally started on the 27^th of August 2022 included weekends as well as starting from 06h00 in the morning till 21h00 in the evening. NTINGA & PROG Saturday Mathematics Projects were also part of the interventions.

1. CHALLENGES

3.1  INFRASTRUCTURAL CHALLENGES

·         The school is a boarding school and the water supply in Nongoma is irregular.

·         With e- textbooks taking centre stage internet connectivity is a sure necessity.

·         Although flush toilets are available, they are not functioning due to water shortages which then leads expensive hiring of mobile chemical toilets. The Pit toilets built by the Dept of basic Education have brought a huge relief.

·         Science and computer laboratories, EGD and Electric Tech workshops and media Centres are not well equipped.

·         The old worn-out underground drainage and sewage pipes get blocked so often owing to long periods of absence of running water

·         The electricity and street lighting needs some urgent attention.

·         The vast acres of our school-yard cannot be efficiently covered by the current staff of groundsmen we have remaining owing to the moratorium currently in force in the KZN Dept of Basic Education.

·         The General Factotum is now weighing heavily on school coffers due to the same moratorium.

3.2  SOCIAL ILLS

·         Drug and substance abuse is becoming a major concern due to close proximity to town and places of leisure.