For my internship I will be working at Thandahulu high school. The school teaches grades eight through twelve in preparation for the Matric exam at the end of twelfth grade. This exam determines whether or not a student passes high school as well as whether or not he or she may go on to college. For many of the students of Thandahulu, the primary language is Xhosa, one of South Africa’s native languages. However, from high school onwards, all education is taught in English, a secondary or tertiary language, in order to prepare for the Matric. You can imagine how difficult it may be for students to be tested in English considering students will rarely speak it outside of the school environment. Despite the great challenge, students overcome this obstacle remarkably well.This past year, 84% of the students taking the Matric passed the exam, which was down from 94% the previous year and a record high of 95%. These figures are amazing considering the backgrounds of many of these students. Something that I’ve failed to mention is that Thandahulu is located in a predominantly ‘white,’ rich area and the students must travel great distances costing some of their families more than they can afford in order to attend. Some students travel up to 30-50 kilometers simply to study at this school instead of the local schools. This is a choice the students make and it shows their dedication to their studies. In the local schools pass rates are horribly low and furthering education seems impossible. Despite the drop in the percentage of students passing the exam at Thandahulu, a pass rate this high is remarkable and reason for celebration.
Our first day at the school also happened to be the students’ first day back from the summer holiday. As such, there was a welcoming assembly for all of the students. As we arrived for the day, the students were already in a block of semi formed lines. We stood among a huge group of parents watching and waiting for the festivities to begin. It was inspiring to see that so many parents traveled all the way to the school to support their children. Loud music kicked off the celebration with teachers singing along on a microphone to get the students excited. The students stood in an oddly perfect rectangle signing and dancing, flawlessly dressed in their navy school uniforms. It was obvious that they took a certain pride in their appearance as well as their school. As the principal stepped up to begin the assembly, the students fell silent almost immediately and remained this way throughout the two-hour service.
After a few announcements in Xhosa, there was a big welcome for all of the students who had passed the Matric the previous year. Those who could make it to the ceremony walked out as a group amid applause and cheers. It was amazing to see the respect and camaraderie among the students and those who had graduated. The goal of each student in the audience was to do what these students had done, to pass the test against all odds. Everyone was genuinely happy for their accomplishments.
Something I found to be remarkable was that in order to motivate them, a dermatologist working at the Red Cross Hospital in Cape Town promised a large sum of money to those students who had not only passed their exams but received A’s. Seven students met this requirement by getting an A in at least one class. At the ceremony, the doctor from the hospital gave the promised money to each of the deserving students. One student even got five out of six A’s with his sixth mark being a B. This is unheard of and such an accomplishment that the woman doctor presented him with a check for 1500 Rand! This is a huge sum of money in South Africa and represents a lot more than the monetary value. Even greater than the money given, was the effect on the audience. The students went wild knowing that one of them had accomplished so much. A parent standing on the side of the celebration walked right up to the stage and handed this exceptional student 100 Rand! From then on teachers and officials began donating money for the students who would be taking the Matric this coming year and reached a sum of 10,000 Rand! It was a great feeling to see such a pride among the community and to be a part of such an accomplishment.
In the following speeches, a need for goals and dedication was stressed. The dermatologist explained how all her life people told her she could not reach her goals and that she would never be a doctor. Well, she stood in front of us qualified and practicing, proving wrong all those who never believed in her. This is the attitude and mindset that she imposed upon the students: that by working hard you can accomplish anything and the students who passed the Matric were living evidence.
Ten Thandahulu graduates will attend UCT this year. 10 out of about 1,100. That is almost 1% of the graduating class attending the best university on the continent despite all the social and economic issues and all the people who said they couldn’t.
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