Boot camps and a back-to-basics approach - The Free State's recipe for matric success

The Free State‚ which had the highest pass mark in the country‚ was so determined to improve its matric results that it even enlisted the help of the military.

Older pupils with discipline problems‚ who had failed Grade 11 or 10‚ were sent to an army camp in June.

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Department spokesman Howard Ndaba said older learners that were causing problems were sent to the camp to "instil a sense of discipline" in them. This is one of a "range of many interventions" the province used when‚ at the beginning of 2016‚ it set goals of having 90% of all students pass matric and 40% attain a university entrance.

Although it didn't quite attain that goal‚ it came pretty close‚ with 88.2% of all students passing‚ 35% of them well enough to study at university.

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Multi-disciplinary teams of officials from different governments departments were dispatched to under-performing schools to look at social or emotional issues pupils faced and to examine the curriculum‚ teaching and school infrastructure to see what could be done to improve things. "A multi-disciplinary team meant if there was a leaking roof keeping children away from school‚ someone from the infrastructure department could organise to fix it‚" said Ndaba.

The province identified the weakest performing area in 2015 as the Xhariep district and targeted schools and pupils there.

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As a result‚ the district was the best performing in the province this year and second best in the country with 92% of all pupils passing.

In the Xhariep district and elsewhere‚ some students were sent from August 24 until November to camps to enable them to study full time and avoid travelling from home to school or dealing with issues at home. They were able to return home on weekends.

The province held revision programmes on Lesedi Radio in Sesotho‚ the most widely spoken language in the province‚ twice a week in October and November. It also had teachers live on air answering questions on 10 community radio stations from August.

Using the best teachers‚ some of them retired‚ lessons were live-streamed from the University of Free State Studios live to 70 centres in which pupils across the province could watch lessons and ask questions in real time. Revision DVDs created with university staff and highly rated teachers were sent to schools where the lessons were watched.

Ndaba said the best teachers‚ some subject advisors and retired teachers‚ were used.

He said‚ "the province could not have improved its pass mark alone‚ but worked with NGOs‚ the Kagiso Trust‚ the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation and the University of the Free State to improve programmes in the country". Of the 6 690 progressed learners who had failed Grade 10 or 11 at least once‚ 68% passed.

"They would [otherwise] have dropped out‚" he said.

The Western Cape got the highest percentage of high quality university passes‚ but the Free State had highest number of diploma passes‚ allowing students to study at a college.

To check your results‚ visit http://matric.sowetanlive.co.za/

- TMG Digital/The Times