The Challenge

95% of our learners never complete Grade 12

The reasons are obvious

There is no high school in the Xhora Mouth area and there is no functioning scholar transport to any high school or college. Learners who would like to continue beyond Grade 9 have to rent accommodation away from their families and care for themselves, while still young and vulnerable teenagers. Furthermore, the nearest institution that offers Grades 10-12 has consistently had a matric pass rate below 40%. There is one government ‘junior secondary’ school that offers up to Grade 9 in the area.

We believe that

• educated and well-cared for children will carry families out of poverty and contribute to a thriving South Africa in the future;
• everyone deserves access to quality education, not only academically gifted learners.

Instead of focussing on academic ability, we have set our admission criteria as the geographical boundary of the Xhora Mouth Administrative Area. We have taken on the task of building a model for how to get all learners through High School – regardless of their starting point – in a region with the most under-resourced schools in the country.

*According to 2015 data collected from schools in the Xhora Mouth Administrative Area.

The Solution

Bulungula College NPC is a no-fee independent school that strives to provide access to excellent High School education in the Xhora Mouth Administrative Area.

The College is built on the Bulungula Incubator’s successes in Early Childhood Development and primary school support programmes. It has been designed, implemented and managed in partnership with our community and has the full support of local leadership structures. Bulungula Colleges works with parents, teachers and the Department of Education and strengthens local government feeder schools to ensure that all learners in can benefit from a quality education and reach their full potential.

Launched in January 2019 with our first intake of Grade 10 learners, we aim to create a high school educational experience that will benefit all learners in the area.