Pretoria - The capital city has again proved it has schools of distinction. As National Senior Certificate results for schools across the country were released at dawn today it was clear that schools in the capital had produced some of the country’s top matriculants. This includes four with nine distinctions each; two each from Menlopark and Waterkloof.
Frances de Klerk and Dricus Oerlemans of Menlopark scored nine distinctions, while classmates Mariane Oberholzer, Jayden Botha and Tunet Trumpie earned eight.
In addition, Menlopark had 20 matriculants with seven and 16 with six distinctions while Waterkloof had four with eight, 15 with seven and 25 with six distinctions.
Afrikaanse Meisieskool - last year the provincial school with the most distinctions - this year boasts two girls with eight distinctions, 30 with seven and 20 with six.
A similar accolade has been Garsfontein's in the past.
And the school's class of 2018 had four matrics with eight, 14 with seven and 16 with six distinctions.
Oerlemans says he cannot wait for the holidays to end and to start university. He has secured a coveted place at the school of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pretoria.
His best advice to matriculants was to identify which subjects they were strong and weak in. Once that has been established try to spend more time on the subjects you are weak in. “Give more time to your challenges; it is difficult, but eventually it is rewarding,” he said.
Trumpie, who was head girl at her school and captain for Northerns hockey, said the secret to achieving good results was to “hit the ground running and not to wait for the end of the year to do well in exams”.
She said being among the best was not an overnight gig and pupils must focus from the start of the year and maintain that focus for the rest of the year. “Remember that consistency is a true mark of a champion,” she said.
“Ask questions if you don’t understand something. Your teachers are there to help you master the work. Make sure you fully understand every aspect of the work,” she advised.
“In matric, it’s extremely important to do revision. I did that with my parents and it made it all easier. I planned in advance, I did all that with my head down and getting right to it. The teachers were exceptional,” she added.
She is heading to Stellenbosch University to study a BCom in Actuarial Science.
Visit IOL's Matrics page for all the latest National Senior Certificate results and news.