First fully blended Liberty funded matric class achieves 100% pass rate in Maths and Science

The Liberty funded Promaths class of 2021 has done it again! Embracing a new online learning approach, the class of 2021 has braved through another year of the global pandemic.

For the past 9 years, Liberty has partnered with the Kutlwanong Centre for Maths Science and Technology - funding two centres, one in Umbumbulu in KwaZulu-Natal, and the other in Katlehong, south-east of Johannesburg. These centres provide grade 10 - 12 learners with extra maths and science tutorials, teacher development and career guidance.

Over the past 9 years, more than 1800 matriculants from the Liberty funded Kutlwanong Centres have achieved a 95% pass rate in matric maths and science. This is a clear indication of the programme's ongoing success, and most importantly the teachers and learners' commitment towards improving their results.

With the advent of the global pandemic in 2020, Kutlwanong had to entirely adjust how they taught their learners, as most lessons, before the pandemic, were conducted in person in a classroom. However, the pandemic and intermitted regulatory lockdowns led to the creation and distribution of the Promaths online platform. The establishment of the online platform was a collaborative effort between Liberty, Investec, Kutlwanong, and the digital designers at Tuta-Me.

The objective of the online platform was to ensure continued learning, by enabling learners and teachers to connect remotely during unexpected and prolonged school closures as a result of the COVID-19 regulatory lockdowns. Following a year of refining their hybrid learning processes, in 2021 a new schedule of online and contact classes was adopted to ensure centres were able to continue teaching and learning without compromising core curriculum outputs for learners to achieve the best outcomes.

“The Class of 2021 has shown us all these new ways of learning can be successful when you have an open and enquiring mind. We salute their adaptability and ability to embrace online and in-person teaching during these challenging times, showing us that nothing will stand in their way,” says Nomaxabiso Matjila, Group Head of Corporate Social Investment at Liberty.

The Kutlwanong matric class of 2021 was heavily affected by the spill-overs of COVID-19, as when they were in Grade 11, they lost about 70% of contact sessions due to the Level 5 lockdown in South Africa. Schools experienced gradual phasing in of grades in 2020, and random school closures due to pandemic-related restrictions.

But through sheer perseverance, the 280 2021 matriculants from the Liberty funded centres were able to achieve phenomenal results:

• A total of 186 distinctions were achieved by Promaths learners in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
• The average learner subject average for Mathematics was 72%
• The average learner subject average for Physical Sciences was 74%

Promaths learners from the Liberty funded centre in Katlehong were also recognised amongst the Top 3 Township performing learners in Gauteng province - these learners are Nthabiseng Matlala from Edenridge Secondary School and Karabo Motaung from Lethukuthula Secondary School. Nthabiseng took the 2nd spot, with Karabo taking the 3rd spot.

“At Liberty, we have always believed that education is the key to transforming our country, and we are inspired by how Kutlwanong continues to nurture talent. We are equally proud of the two learners recognised among the Top 3 best performers of the province. We look forward to continuing our work with this incredible organisation and its amazing pupils,” says Matjila.