Lilyfontein achieved a perfect 100% matric pass rate for five consecutive years, the only Buffalo City School to achieve this, while East London Secondary School saw a remarkable 26% improvement, soaring from 67% to 92.9% — proof of dedication and resilience in local education.
Provincially, the matric results have improved for the fourth consecutive year, achieving a record 84.99% pass rate in 2024, just shy of the 85% target. The number of bachelor passes increased from 40,000 in 2023 to 45,662, with the overall pass rate rising 3.5 percentage points from 81.4% in 2023.
The province also improved outcomes in 13 subjects and achieved 36,640 distinctions.
Lilyfontein’s consistency with respect to 100% matric pass rate was commended by the Eastern Cape department of education with hopes that its success in consistency can be replicated across the city.
Lilyfontein school governing body (SGB) chair Dr Greer Hawley-MacMaster said the school’s success was premised on its insistence that academics was only one component of what should be a pupil’s holistic development. The school emphasises the importance of developing emotional intelligence, teaching pupils how to be critical thinkers and instilling them with a sense of self-reliance and independence.
With this focus on personal development, the school believes that pupils become more empowered to take ownership of their education and push themselves to perform, with the support of hands-on parents and teachers.
Hawley-MacMaster added: “We take great pride in our academic achievements and our five year 100% pass rate and even more so the preceding 18 years of 100% matric passes. These results demonstrate the commitment that Lilyfontein School pupils, parents and teachers have to academics.
“Through adventure-based education, Lilyfontein pupils cultivate skills such as critical thinking, balance and focus that enables them to overcome challenges and they use these skills to achieve skills in everything they do.
“We recently developed an academic strategy plan which aims to not only maintain the 100% pass rate but also position the school as a centre for academic excellence.”
Principal Nic Els said the wellness of pupils is prioritised because an imbalance in a child’s personal life can lead to academic challenges.
“We have a strong culture of collaboration between peers with stronger pupils supporting those who experience challenges and personalised interventions and accountability with at-risk pupils and parents.
“Our focus on academic excellence begins in primary school and this gives pupils a strong academic foundation and empowers them to achieve good academic results throughout their school careers. This reduces the stress and anxiety associated with matric.”
East London Secondary School’s exceptional leap in performance is credited to the principal Rajen Packery’s determined involvement in every matric’s performance as well as the relationships he built with historically academically inclined schools such as Clarendon High School for Girls and Selborne College.
SGB deputy chair Portia Samuels said the hands-on involvement of the principal meant that the academic progress of each pupil was carefully tracked and dips in performance were immediately detected and addressed.
Samuels also added that the exposure to schools with more robust systems for academic performance management was an incentive to the East London Secondary School pupils to push themselves compete with their peers for better resourced schools and applauds the willingness from CGHS and Selborne to work with East London High to improve the matric performance in the city.
Samuels said: “As parents and the SGB, we are so proud of this huge improvement and for Mohammed Salim Panwala-Roy who achieved 93% in maths, 90% in geography, 90% in physical science, 87% in life science and earned an overall aggregate of 81.14%.
“The improved matric pass rate has meant there is a massive new bar that’s been set for the incoming class of 2025. The teachers and the principal are more optimistic and motivated now that they’ve seen their hard work pay off.
“Even with steep financial challenges such as non-payment of fees and minimal resources, our hard work and dedication paid off.”
SGB chair Zama Jara said that improving matric results was a result of teamwork and that it boosts morale and encourages pupils, parents, teachers, and the community.
Jara stressed that issues such as delayed teacher replacements and absenteeism remained obstacles.
