PRESS RELEASE

Christel House South Africa (CHSA), a non-profit school in Ottery that serves students from Cape Town’s impoverished communities has announced an impressive 94.9% matric pass rate for the Class of 2024. This achievement surpasses the national average of 87.3% and the Western Cape provincial average of 86.6%.

Amid the celebrations, the school remains acutely aware of the broader challenges facing South African youth. Currently, approximately 42% of young South Africans aged 15 to 34 are neither employed nor engaged in education or training, leaving them vulnerable to exclusion from the formal economy. The school’s innovative Career Development programme addresses this challenge by offering post-matric support for up to five years. This includes stipends, assistance with tertiary applications, and personalised career guidance, ensuring long-term success for graduates. Notably, only 3% of CHSA alumni fall into the NEET category, compared to the national youth unemployment rate of 30%.

This year, 64.4% of CHSA’s matriculants achieved a Bachelor’s pass, exceeding the national average of 54.8% and the provincial average of 47.8%.

Dr Ronald Fortune, Chief Academic Officer at Christel House SA says, “We are extremely proud of our 2024 Matrics. Students who attend our school come from high trauma and challenging circumstances. Under these conditions, and considering that this is the Grade 8 Covid-19 cohort of 2020, we need to acknowledge that a 95% matric pass is an exceptional achievement. Our teachers will be focused on preparing our three students who didn’t achieve their Higher Certificate pass for the Supplementary exams in July. The Christel House model, which supports students up to five years after graduation, means that we are fully committed to seeing them achieve their goals. Some of them take longer to get to the goal, but they get there in the end.”

Christel House SA’s top achiever, Aluta M. has been accepted to study towards a BA in International Studies at Stellenbosch University and a BA Degree at the University of the Western Cape. She is also hoping for acceptance for a BA Law at Stellenbosch University. Aluta expressed her excitement, saying, “I am grateful and excited for the future.” Her mother, Rose Mtsi, added: “I am so proud of Aluta. She has exceeded my expectations, and I want to send all the blessings to the staff at Christel House SA for their exceptional work—not just for our children, but for the entire community.”

Xola L. and Fakrudin N. are in second and third place, respectively. Xola, the 2024 Valedictorian has received provisional acceptance to study Occupational Therapy at Stellenbosch University, the University of Johannesburg, and Rhodes University, with plans to pursue medicine thereafter. Fakrudin N. has been provisionally accepted to study a BSc in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology at Stellenbosch University.

Christel House SA will be expanding and extending its transformative model to empower even more young minds. To learn more or support their mission, please contact Lara Black, Fundraiser and Marketing Director, at lblack@sa.christelhouse.org or 021-704-9407.