BACKGROUND – THE HIGH SCHOOL

Nomaswazi School is an Educational Institution based in Kwazulu Natal and that has been in operation for the last 26 years. It is non-profit and was formed with the vision and mission to serve the previously disadvantaged community by making quality education available to all. The founders of this organisation
feel that education is the best vehicle with which to not only empower an individual (i.e. youth) but also the best vehicle with which to develop the South African society.

Initially the school started by offering extra lessons on weekends to previously disadvantaged communities. Over the years the school grew from strength to strength, being able to provide an increasingly better educational product. No Nomaswazi High School is a fully fledged high school that:

1. Boasts a 26 year record of quality passes;

2. Enrolment of 650 learners per year not just from Kwazulu Natal Province but also from all surrounding Provinces of South Africa;

a. 400 Grade 8 to Grade 12 full-time learners.
b. 250 2 nd – Chance matric candidate. Nomaswazi High School is THE original 2 nd -Chance institution.

3. Is fully registered with the KZN Department of Education;

4. Has full Umalusi Accreditation (one of the 1 st school’s in KZN);

5. Boasts a 93% pass rate.

Nomaswazi High School has grown a reputation for the quality result produced, positive school ethos
and high levels of professionalism within the communities it serves.

STATISTICS AND FIGURES

“The matric certificate is still highly regarded in the labour market. To get a job flipping a burger at most fast food outlets, including McDonald’s, you need a matric. Relative to a Grade 10 and Grade 11, the matric certificate is a
big determining factor in terms of earnings and the likelihood of finding employment. This is supported by datafrom the 2011 National Census, which indicates that the unemployment rate for 25 to 35 year olds who had “less
than matric” was 47% in 2011, compared to 33% for 25 to 35 year olds that had a matric and 20% for people of the same age group with a diploma or post-school certificate.

Achieving a matric qualification improves someone’s employment benefits significantly. Of all learners, between 40% and 50% never write the matric exam. In 2006 there were just over 1 million learners in Grade 12 (Matric Class of 2016). Of these learners, only 610 178 wrote the matric exams, with 442 672 passing. However, out of those that passed, just under 162,500 qualified for university studies (matric exemption). Even among matrics who qualify to access university education, many still have multiple obstacles to their success. Nearly 30% of those who enter university drop out within five years.” Source: Lindsay Calder – GED Programme.

With said, the 2 nd chance Matric Programme is clearly needed and could be a key tool towards elevating some of the educational, societal, social and employment issues faced in the country. However, many of the candidates
face some challenges in enrolling/pursuing a 2 nd chance:

a. School – Life Balance

Time is a precious commodity and school is a great time commitment. Most adult learners have jobs and many also have families.

b. Financing Education

Few will argue that with age comes greater financial responsibility. Many adult learners are financially independent, and therefore, have more financial obligations than students right out of high school.

c. Confidence

Adult learners may feel uncomfortable entering a college environment with younger students, especially if
much time has passed since they opened a school book.

d. Accessibility

As mentioned before, time is an important factor students consider before agreeing to start or go back to school. With limited time available, especially during traditional work hours, adult learners may require a more flexible class schedule. And with other life obligations getting in the way, visiting a campus regularly may seem a daunting task.

Source: ASHER College (U.S.A.)

THE CURRENT STATE MATRIC EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

One of the courses provided, and a big portion of the Nomaswazi learner community, is the 2 nd chance matric programme. Being a leader in this field and providing the best programme on the market the school has realized
some challenges with the current education landscape in South Africa:

a. A high level of matric failure leading to many people needing to repeat their matric.

b. Difficulty of providing quality education to the majority of learners which leads to failures or poorer than
necessary results. For this reason learners often enroll to improve their results.

c. High cost of education leading to drop-out rates.

d. Lack of access to schools for learners who live in remote areas.

e. Socio economic and life reasons make it difficult for some learners to study.

E.g. Work, broken families, pregnancies.

PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF NOMASWAZI ONLINE SCHOOLING

Nomaswazi Online schooling brings the quality education and the opportunity for a 2 nd chance to the learner at their own space in their own time.

a. Accessibility
Nomaswazi HS’s Online Learning platform is designed to be accessible on any computer, laptop and mobile device.

b. School-Life Balance
Because of the portability of the platform and how the programme is structured, learners can go through the
programme at a more convenient pace.

c. Affordable
Because the online programme gets rid of many overhead costs of running a physical school and other costs bourne by the learner, e.g. transport, the programme can cost much less to the learner.

d. Confidance
This programme allows learners to not worry about the anxiety of facing younger students and a situation that could make them feel uncomfortable.

EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES OF NOMASWAZI ONLINE SCHOOLING

Nomaswazi Online School took many years to code and programme. The final product is a platform with:

a. Latest Learning Content/Material
The latest materials and content has been sourced & compiled.

b. Unlimited updatability
The platform’s learning content/material can be continuously and very speedily updated to meet the latest requirements, standards of any syllabus or educational development.

c. Variety of Content Type
Content upload able on the platform can be text, video, sound recording or any combination that offers the best learning experience.