Among the network of collaborating public and private schools in Komani, affiliated to the Queenstown Education Foundation (QEF), situated in the rural Eastern Cape Chris Hani West District, are educational leaders who have just upped their ante in the National Senior Certificate exams of 2020, despite last year’s Covid chaos.
All five of QEF’s affiliated high schools who wrote the National Senior Certificate, with the exception of one, surpassed the national and provincial average pass rate. They all scored 90% or higher, against the District’s average of 70.5% and the national average of 76.2%.
High schools affiliated to the foundation include Queenstown Girls’ High School, Queen’s College Boys’ High School, Get Ahead College, Hoerskool Hangklip and Hexagon High. Stanford Lake College, QEF’s remote member, meanwhile wrote the IEB.
 | QEF AFFILIATED HIGH SCHOOLS |  |
The highest academically-achieving school amongst them, Queenstown Girls High School is its province’s only school to enjoy 29 successive years of a 100% pass rate. Its Class of 2020 also ranked third in the province for a Batchelor’s Pass rate of 92% and nine A aggregates. GHS matriculant Sharon Jomon received the accolade of the Premier’s 2020 Top Achiever award.
Other noteworthy achievements among the group were year on year increases. Queen’s College increased its number of Batchelor Passes and number of distinctions, Hoerskool Hangklip increased its Batchelor Pass rate, Get Ahead College’s increased its overall pass rate as well as its number of Batchelor Passes and distinctions and Hexagon High increased its overall pass rate as well as its number of Batchelor Passes. Both GAP College and Hexagon also scored a greater percentage of distinctions per learner than the EC provincial average. Stanford Lake College in Limpopo, which subscribes to QEF’s overarching digital network meanwhile celebrates a 100% pass rate and 87% Batchelor Pass rate, with 2.05 distinctions per matriculant.
During the 2020 academic year, QEF convened a number of Zoom meetings among the leadership of its affiliated collaborating schools, assisting them to consult with one another and devise innovative strategies on how to survive and thrive within the chaos of Covid.
Chairman of QEF Roddy Sutton contextualises the role of collaboration in performance. “The ability to work collaboratively with others is becoming an essential component of improving school performance during the 4th Industrial Revolution. We’ve created a model that anchors the school improvement process around 4IR skills of communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. We extend heartfelt thanks to all of educators, SGB members, the parent community and extended partners for the role you play in realising our exciting vision.”
At its award ceremony last night Mr Nicky De Bruyn, Director of the Eastern Cape Department of Education’s Chris Hani West District, remarked that his department is now intent on defending their 2020 position as Top 3 in the province, either by maintaining it or, at best, improving it.
