Christel House South Africa, a charitable school in Ottery serving students from impoverished communities in Cape Town, celebrated its 10th year of achieving a 100% matric pass rate.
The achievement means that the school, which enrols 750 learners from grade R to 12, has achieved a 100% matric pass rate since its first matriculants graduated in 2009. Top achiever, Charanick Schrader from Manenberg, achieved six distinctions and will be studying towards a BCom degree at the University of the Western Cape.
Christel House operates eight learning centres internationally and its mission is to break the cycle of poverty. The school is the only one in Africa and students come from 20 communities on the Cape Flats including Philippi, Delft, Langa, Mitchell’s Plain and Manenberg to mention but a few. Students are selected not based on academic merit but financial need and receive holistic, character-based education including transport to the school, daily meals, guidance counselling and healthcare.
Schrader was elated with her results and said: “Christel House has given me so many opportunities that have helped me grow tremendously as an individual. The school’s core values of respect, responsibility, independence and integrity are values that I now live my life by. Christel House has taught me that you cannot count on being great or having greatness thrust upon you, but rather that the opportunity to achieve greatness is within reach of every one of us.”
The class of 2018 attained a 72% bachelor’s pass rate, more than double the national bachelor’s pass rate of 33.6%. A key part of Christel House’s model is supporting its matriculants for up to five years after leaving school through its award-winning College & Careers programme. Currently it supports more than 250 graduates with 96% either studying, working or doing both. The 50 matriculants of 2018 also achieved 35 distinctions and the majority are now going on to study Science, Law, Engineering, Accounting, Humanities and Business at universities across South Africa.
The principal of the high school, Ronald Fortune, said he is extremely proud of the class of 2018 and added: “(Today) is an indication that the Christel House model works. We give students with little opportunity the chance to be their best. Today’s achievement is the result of the 13 years of support we have given them.”
Christel House is a registered non-profit organisation and 100% of all donations benefit Christel House’s projects and programmes. All South African donors are eligible to receive a tax-deductible 18A certificate and companies can receive B-BBEE points for their contributions as 100% of Christel House’s beneficiaries are black.