Updates like these are never easy to share, but we believe it’s important to reflect honestly on both the highs and the lows of our work. This year at Bulungula College, our Grade 12 class has been our most academically underperforming cohort to date. While we have seen extraordinary results in previous years, our goal has never been a 100% matric pass rate. Our goal is to provide quality education and care to young people in one of South Africa’s most under-resourced rural areas. Despite fluctuating results, this remains our focus.
In Terms 1 and 2, fewer than 50% of our Matric learners passed. It was a sobering moment. But we did not put our heads down. Our response was immediate and collective.
We held extensive strategic planning sessions with our teaching staff and senior management to develop a catch-up plan, including an earlier start to our Final Push Matric Programme. Through this programme, Grade 12 learners move onto the Bulungula College campus for focused academic preparation. This residential model is especially important in the lead-up to final exams, providing learners — many of whom are the first in their families to reach this level — with a quiet, stable, and academically focused environment.
- All meals are provided, allowing learners to focus without worrying about daily essentials.
- Daily extra tutoring, as well as weekend and evening classes, reinforce key content and exam strategies.
- A full-time mental health counsellor is based on campus, offering consistent emotional and psychological support.
- To maintain a healthy balance, we incorporate structured wellness activities, such as beach outings, to help learners manage stress during this intensive period.
Our recent trial exam results have shown a significant improvement, with a 77% pass rate. This progress has been a huge morale boost for our learners, teachers, and staff — and gives us hope that the final stretch will bring further improvement.
Looking beyond the final results, we are already preparing for 2026 to continue supporting this cohort. Recognising the impact of this year’s challenges, we will relaunch our Second Chance Matric Programme, which offers a structured and supportive pathway for learners who do not pass or need to improve their marks to access further education or employment.
So, what made this year different? We believe there are several contributing factors. In 2024 and early 2025, our community and region experienced a wave of crime that had a profound impact on morale, led to staff turnover, and resulted in prolonged absences among senior leadership. We also welcomed a new school principal, an important but complex transition that naturally required a period of adjustment.
Another significant shift is in who is attending our school. In our early years, we struggled to fill a classroom. We had to recruit learners from beyond our community, the Xhora Mouth Administrative Area, to meet enrollment requirements to stay open. Today, thanks to growing community trust and our strong reputation of providing excellent education, Bulungula College is fully enrolled with learners from our community — many of whom are the first in their families to reach Grade 12. This is a powerful sign of change, but it also means we are supporting a wider range of academic needs and foundational learning levels. Unlike many rural schools that exclude weaker learners (a sadly widespread practice), we never turn learners away.
Many of these challenges are beyond our control, and future, unpredictable challenges are inevitable. But what we can control is how we respond. That’s where our work has always been anchored: in our commitment to rise to the moment, no matter how difficult, to provide responsive support to our community.
This year has tested us, but it’s also reaffirmed who we are. At Bulungula College, we don’t turn away from struggling learners — we turn towards them. Guided by our school value to “approach challenges with grit and optimism,” we will walk the last mile together.