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100% matric pass for PROTEC
2009-01-12
While news stories are bemoaning the drop in matric standards across South Africa, Ba-Phalaborwa can boast some truly outstanding statistics. Learners on the Programme for Technological Careers (PROTEC) have managed a 100 per cent pass rate for 2008, up from the previous year’s more than respectable 96 per cent. The icing on the cake is the learners’ achievement of 91 per cent university exemption, a great leap up from the 84 per cent exemption achieved in 2007.
Rio Tinto Palabora Mining Company and the Palabora Foundation are delighted with the achievements of the talented youngsters. “These are among the best results in the history of the programme in Phalaborwa”, said Mr CK Joseph, PROTEC’s programme head. “We got eleven distinctions in Mathematics – seven from Leboneng and four from Rixile – and we missed distinction in Science by one mark, with the highest score being 79 per cent. It is a remarkable achievement”, he said.
Matt Gili, managing director of Palabora Mining Company commented, “The Palabora Foundation plays a vital role in the provision of talent and future leaders for Palabora Mining Company. We rely on the integrated Foundation and on site development programmes to provide strong candidates for our bursary and technical and professional development programmes, which to date have delivered a number of excellent young professionals into our business”.
The final results could be higher still, since four students from Maphokwane are still waiting for their results. Their CASS papers, written in Sepedi, have been misplaced by the Department of Education.
In keeping with the predictions at the PROTEC prizegiving towards the end of last year, top grade 12 student Nkosilathi Vundla from Meridian College topped the tables with 97 per cent in Maths and maintained a high average for all his other subjects. His excellent results should secure him a bursary, which will enable him to take up his place at the University of Cape Town to study mechanical engineering.
Rio Tinto Palabora Mining Company, Foskor Ltd and Sasol Nitro are the major sponsors of the PROTEC programme in Phalaborwa. The other sponsors are Standard Bank, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, Lepelle Northern Water, GAGE Specialists, Professional Career Consultants, Mopani South-East FET College, Phalaborwa Chamber of Business, Eskom, Gears Technologies and the Department of Education.
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