Western Cape matriculants among ‘best of the best’

Five candidates from the Western Cape have been recognised for being “the best of the best”, including the top candidate in the country, after the release of the 2022 matric results by basic education minister Angie Motshekga.

Kelly Grace Prowse from Rustenburg Girls’ High School emerged as the country’s top candidate in quintile 5, followed by Simone Anna Mart Louw (Bloemhof High School) and Kenneth Janson (Hoër Jongenskool Paarl).

Speaking to SAnews, Prowse said staying motivated and avoiding burnout were major challenges during her final year.

“Matric is an unbelievably long year with many sets of exams so trying to stay motivated throughout all of those was hard,” she said.

She plans to study actuarial science at the University of Cape Town.

Western Cape education MEC David Maynier praised the class of 2022, saying the provincial pass rate had increased to 81.4%, with 49,102 candidates passing their exams. This is the largest number of successful candidates the department has ever had.

“More importantly, every one of our successful candidates received a matric pass that makes them eligible to apply to universities or colleges. This means we have extended opportunity to nearly 50,000 young people who are ready to take the next step into higher education and skills development,” he said.

Other top candidates from the province included quintile 3 second placed Athenkosi Khonzani (Centre of Science and Technology). Top candidates in mathematics were Prowse in first place and Jason Frederik de Villiers (Rondebosch Boys’ High) third.

“What makes this achievement all the more extraordinary is that the matric class of 2022 was at the greatest disadvantage due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other disruptions during the exam period,” said Maynier.

“This class was one of the last to go back to school in 2020, and were not at school every day during 2021. Their curriculum was trimmed for three years, but the matric exams tested the full content. They did not have any exam practice in grades 10 and 11.

“In matric they struggled with the ongoing challenge of load-shedding. While we were able to conduct all f our exams successfully despite the power cuts, they left many pupils in the dark in the evenings when they needed to study.

“Candidates in Cape Town had the added disruption of a major taxi strike during their exams. Due to the extraordinary efforts of our schools, parents and pupils, our candidates were all able to write their exams during the strike.

“This was the biggest matric class we have ever had, with 2,629 extra candidates compared to last year, and our highest exam turnout rate since 2015. In other words, a greater proportion of pupils who registered for the matric exams at the beginning of 2022 wrote the full set of exams than in recent years.”

Authorities in Cape Town have appealed to matriculants to celebrate responsibly.

“Staff will monitor popular gathering spots, including beaches, clubs and party hotspots,” said mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith.

“These celebrations are a focal point each year, and the city congratulates everyone who passed. To those who didn’t make it, please don’t give up. Success comes in many different forms, and at different times. Whether its celebrations or commiserations, I want to appeal to our young people to do so responsibly. Each year our beaches are popular celebration spots, but also clubs and other hangouts around the city.

“If you drink, don’t do so in our public spaces, and definitely not around water bodies, and make sure that you have a designated driver and people you can trust to have your best interests at heart. Our enforcement and rescue services are on alert to monitor the celebrations. A reminder that safety is everyone’s business.”

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