Daniel Pienaar Technical School’s 2025 matriculants achieved a 78.3% pass rate.
The results come after several years of steady decline at the Kariega school, from 94.4% in 2023 to 84% in 2024.
School management has, however, cautioned against viewing the figures in isolation, saying the realities faced by technical schools were different from those of mainstream academic institutions.
Principal Kola du Toit said one of the major issues affecting technical schools was the constant comparison with academic schools.
“We have good years and bad years.
“The challenge we have with technical schools is that when parents see their children struggle at academic schools, they take them to technical schools expecting them to do better.
“But the reality is that these are technical schools, and we deal with mathematics, technical mathematics and science.
“This results in many learners struggling with the work and failing.”
Du Toit said technical schools played a crucial role in producing artisans and engineers, yet there remained a scarcity of such schools, which placed additional pressure on those that did exist.
She said the conditions under which technical schools operated were not always fully understood, and that greater empathy was needed when assessing their performance.
“Yes, the pass rate has declined, but I am satisfied with the 2025 results.
“The September results were encouraging, and teachers and learners worked very hard to complete the year.
“I do not believe this is something that will be rectified during my time,” she said.
“In the past, we have had great numbers and we are proud of that.
“Unfortunately, we also have to deal with learners sleeping throughout the year and not taking their work seriously, only waking up at the end of the year when it is too late.”
Du Toit also noted that pupils continued to struggle with language subjects, adding that the removal of English creative examinations in June had contributed to weaker comprehension and understanding of the language.
This was echoed by the school’s head of English, Geraldine Swanepoel.
“We have to deal with the challenge of time pressure.
“The limited time available often forces us to downscale the content, which negatively affects learner comprehension and performance, particularly in language subjects.
“The removal of English Paper Three has also been a concern, as its return could help learners become more familiar with creative writing and improve overall language proficiency,” Swanepoel said.
The removal of English Paper Three has also been a concern, as its return could help learners become more familiar with creative writing and improve overall language proficiency
— Geraldine Swanepoel.
Despite these challenges, many pupils expressed excitement about their results and their futures.
Sibabalwe Masimini, 19, said: “I’m very proud of myself for passing matric.
“There were some very difficult challenges that I had to go through, and the workload was much heavier than in grade 11.
“With the help of my teachers, I was able to achieve what I wanted.
“This year, I plan on going to university to study further in IT or anything related to electronics.”
The Herald
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