Despite dropping from second position to third on the 2023 NSSC Grade 11 national level ranking, the ||Kharas Region has improved overall on its C-plus grading compared to 2022.

These were the sentiments shared by ||Kharas Education Director Jesmine Magermann when giving her opinion on the performances of the 2023 NSSCO-LEVEL class. 

Magermann says the results of the region's 2023 NSSCO class improved overall from 32% to 37% for C-plus grading. 

Additionally, learner performance shows improvement in subjects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics in both C-plus and D-plus grading. 

Learner improvement was recorded among students in the subjects Geography, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Accounting. 

The result for history saw a steep drop.

"Every year we enroll learners in grade 11 and AS level, and usually there is a difference in performance because it is not the same learners that are examined the next year for that same grade, so we are not very surprised if there are changes and if there is a slide drop, and I call it a slide drop in raking nationally, but if we look at our overall performance, I would say we did better than in 2022, when the region was placed second on the national ranking."

The region also dropped from tenth position to twelve on the 2023 NSSCAS national level ranking. 

Figures revealed by Magermann show that AS level learners performed dismally in the subjects: English Second Language, where 14.2% were ungraded; Biology, with 23.5% ungraded; Chemistry with 22%; and Physics with 22.6% ungraded. 

"We had only 134 learners enrolled at our six schools that offer AS level, and we actually expected better results, but this is now the outcome, and we are now faced with what we are going to do to support and assist our teachers in AS level as well as the learners because we have 350 learners who actually qualified with their results for entry to AS level, meaning it is 260 learners more than we had last year, and we first have to make place for them and ensure that they can be accommodated, but from our experience, not all of them will come back."

Magermann says an annual Principal's Meeting is scheduled for next week to analyse learner performances from Grade 4 to AS level.

She also expressed her gratitude to all stakeholders, including the Anglo-American Foundation, for their contribution to education in the region.