{"id":10635,"date":"2026-01-27T11:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"\/?page_id=10635"},"modified":"2026-01-27T11:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:19:16","slug":"from-83-3-to-100-umlalati-learning-centre-scoops-most-improved-school-award-for-matric-class-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"\/?page_id=10635","title":{"rendered":"From 83.3% to 100%: Umlalati Learning Centre Scoops Most Improved\u00a0School Award for Matric Class of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"10637\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-1024x797.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10637\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-1024x797.jpeg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-300x233.jpeg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-768x598.jpeg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-1536x1195.jpeg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-2048x1593.jpeg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2928-400x311.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Umlalati Learning Centre, based in Barberton under the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North&nbsp;West (LMN) Region, has recorded an exceptional academic achievement by winning the Most&nbsp;Improved School Award for the 2025 matric results. The centre\u2019s pass rate rose remarkably&nbsp;from 83.3% to a perfect 100%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 16.7% improvement marks a major milestone for the school, reflecting the dedication and&nbsp;hard work of learners, educators, school management, and correctional officials. Of the six&nbsp;matric candidates, three obtained Bachelor passes, while the other three achieved Diploma&nbsp;passes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The juvenile centre, which accommodates inmates under the age of 25, has consistently&nbsp;produced strong academic results over the years, achieving a 100% matric pass rate in 2020,&nbsp;2021, 2022, and 2025, with 80% in 2023 and 83.3% in 2024.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to being honoured as the Most Improved School, the centre received several\u00a0individual accolades. Khokhayi Nkosi was awarded Best Learner Performer in isiSwati Home\u00a0Language with 80%, while Sakhile Mthombeni received the Educator Subject Award in Tourism\u00a0with an average of 76.5%. Siphamandla Khumalo (69.42%) and Siyanda Yende (62.85%) were\u00a0recognised as Top Performers in their respective subjects.\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"888\" data-id=\"10636\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-1024x888.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10636\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-1024x888.jpeg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-300x260.jpeg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-768x666.jpeg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-1536x1331.jpeg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-2048x1775.jpeg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2927-400x347.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>School Principal and English educator Purine Makhubu attributed the school\u2019s outstanding&nbsp;performance to strong self-motivation among both learners and educators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe conducted innovative sessions involving all educators, giving everyone a platform to share&nbsp;inputs and ideas on improving school performance and restoring the school to its glory days.&nbsp;These sessions were robust and constructive, allowing for open discussions on challenges&nbsp;faced and enabling us to develop remedial actions,\u201d explained Makhubu.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She added: \u201cOur educators went the extra mile. They collectively agreed to offer additional&nbsp;lessons outside normal school hours, on weekends, and during school holidays to ensure&nbsp;learners were well-prepared for the final exams.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Makhubu also highlighted the transformative impact of education on inmates, noting that it&nbsp;provides them with a renewed sense of purpose and a different perspective on life. \u201cOne of our&nbsp;matriculants was overjoyed with his results and shared that this achievement is his greatest&nbsp;accomplishment, as he is the first in his family to complete matric,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>2 \/ 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Myeni, Manager of Education and Training in the Barberton Management Area, added&nbsp;that regular inspections and close engagement with educators played a vital role in the school\u2019s&nbsp;success. \u201cWe conducted quarterly assessments with educators to monitor learners\u2019 progress.&nbsp;Where challenges were identified, we jointly developed subject improvement plans supported by&nbsp;internal moderation to strengthen teaching and learning outcomes. We also ensured that the&nbsp;Class of 2025 consisted of learners who performed well in Grade 11 and were adequately&nbsp;prepared for Grade 12,\u201d Myeni remarked.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Receiving the award on behalf of the school, award-winning Tourism educator Sakhile&nbsp;Mthombeni said it was an honour to accept the Most Improved School Award, as it&nbsp;acknowledges the efforts of educators and their commitment to ensuring that offender learners&nbsp;achieve a 100% pass rate and improve the school\u2019s results.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe learners were happy to be recognised for their hard work, as it made them feel connected&nbsp;to the outside community. Through education, they are now equipped with the skills and&nbsp;knowledge to contribute positively to the broader economy as they prepare for reintegration,\u201d he&nbsp;said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mthombeni added that the matriculants are highly motivated to further their studies through the&nbsp;University of South Africa (UNISA) and continue their academic journeys.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Umlalati Learning Centre, based in Barberton under the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North&nbsp;West (LMN) Region, has recorded an exceptional academic achievement by winning the Most&nbsp;Improved School Award for the 2025 matric results. The centre\u2019s pass rate rose remarkably&nbsp;from 83.3% to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2851,"featured_media":10637,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10635"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2851"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10638,"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10635\/revisions\/10638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}