IEB results: KZN pupils shine

24 KZN-schooled pupils were among the best 134 commendable and outstanding achievers to pass their IEB matric exams

Durban - Twenty-four KwaZulu-Natal-schooled pupils were among the best 134 Commendable and Outstanding Achievers to pass their Independent Examinations Board matric exams.

The IEB exam results were released at midnight, with 98.3% of the more than 10 000 pupils who sat for the exams last month passing and 85% of them passing with a bachelors’ pass – which enables them to study towards a degree at university.

Only 174 (1.7%) of the country’s IEB pupils failed their matric exams.

IEB chief executive, Anne Oberholzer, said they were proud of the pupils’ achievements and that the exams had been incident free.

“Learners have shown that with commitment to hard work over their 12 years of schooling and supported by a dedicated cohort of teachers and parents, they have achieved the first major milestone in their learning careers,” she said.

Clifton College’s Brendan Allan was among the outstanding achievers, attaining seven distinctions and representing the country at international public speaking events this year.

“I worked really hard and I pride myself on my academics,” said the school dux.

Allan wants to conquer Wall Street in the future and hopes to study at Harvard University or at the University of Cape Town towards an actuarial science and financial management degree.

“The IEBs are testament that the bar can be set high, so it’s great to have an education system like that in South Africa,” he said yesterday.

Another Clifton boff, Sumantha Dasarath, said he had been “overwhelmed” by his six distinctions.

“My hardest subject was English, I am surprised and excited to finally get an A in English, I worked really hard to improve, but I was only improving with about 1 or 2%. I’ve always wanted to get an A for English, so it’s great that I got it now,” he said.

Kearsney College headmaster Elwyn van den Aardweg said although academics was their top priority, a “holistic education is crucial.” He was thrilled about the results in spite of the boys’ commitment to sports.

Kearsney College remained strong among the all-boys school in KwaZulu-Natal, notching up three Commendable and Outstanding pupils.

The school’s top performer, deputy head prefect, choir leader and former Drakensberg Boys’ Choir member, Jabulani Nyathi, scored seven As but was unavailable for comment as he was en route to Mozambique on Tuesday.

The school said Nyathi was the recipient of an Allan Gray Orbis Fellowship which would cater for his undergraduate studies in chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town.

James Hansen and Cameron Lee, both under-18 baseball players for South Africa, earned six distinctions each and were also commended.

Demi Geldenhuis, from St Henry’s Marist College, who bagged seven distinctions, aims to study towards a law degree at Stellenbosch University but was very excited to achieve an A in physical science.

“Most people said trials were easier; I thought finals were really hard,” she said.

At Durban Girls’ College, four pupils received commendable and outstanding achievements.

Headmaster Thomas Hagspihl said 90% of their results were As, Bs and Cs.

“I think it’s a result of having such excellent teachers, our teachers are unbelievable,” he said, “Secondly, I believe it’s got to do with the school ethos – we have a work ethic here, that’s something quite special,” he said. “Happy girls work hard.”

Parent Linda Christie-Taylor could barely contain herself when she heard the news that her daughter, Taryn, of Durban Girls’ College, was among the province’s top performers and struggled to find the words to express her pride. Taryn was in the country’s top 80 pupils to be awarded a Commendable achievement with seven As.

She said matric had been one of the toughest years at school.

She added that she aimed to study towards a psychology degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT) next year. “I worked hard and did my best,” Taryn said. “I want to move away from home and gain some independence… I love Cape Town, it’s beautiful and there’s so much to do,” she said.

At Maris Stella, where three pupils featured in the Commendable and Outstanding achievers, was Leah Amod – who described exams as “pretty tough”. She is also on her way to UCT where she will study towards a biomedical science degree.

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