History of the School

 

The school was established at the beginning of 1975 as a sister school to Tembisa High School which was the only high school that existed in Tembisa during that period. Boitumelong Junior Secondary School as the school was later named, became the second post primary school in Tembisa it offered classes up to the then Junior Certificate level.

 

Enrolment

 

The number of learners that were egistered at the school on its inception totalled 678. These were learners who were transferred from the sister school in order to relieve the congestion in the standards six and seven classes. In subsequent years these figure changed as the number of learners increased. Presently, the school accommodates a total in excess of sixteen hundred learners each year.

 

Infrastructure

 

The school started with sixteen class rooms a library, laboratory and a home economics centre. During subsequent years the number of learners increased and more classrooms had to be added. In 1981 four new classrooms were built and a new toilet block for girls was also added. 

At the moment the size of the buildings has increased to include forty classrooms, four laboratories, two home economics centres, a library; a
computer centre with twenty-five computers and an arts classroom. A well-run tuckshop is operational even though the school had to outsource it.

 

Performance

 

Boitumelong was renowned for good results in the District since its inception. The first group of learners to write an external examination in the Junior Certificate Examination was presented at the end of 1977 with an outstanding performance. This pattern continued even after the matric classes were introduced. The first group of learners to write the senior certificate examinations at the school was presented in 1983 with excellent results.

 

Political Disturbances

 

The effects of the riots which started with the Soweto uprising in 1976 intensified in Tembisa during the eighties. It is during this period that the school was attacked by arson and the old office block; laboratory and home economics centre were torched and completely destroyed. These were fortunately replaced in the late eighties when the buildings were revamped and upgraded. No examinations were written in 1988 due to political action and most learners decided to leave the school in the subsequent years. This affected even the quality of teaching and learning in most township schools, Boitumelong included. The pattern of non-performance even amongst the educators continued up to a point where the school was classified as dysfunctional and this culminated in our learners obtaining the lowest ever pass rate ever at the end of 1999.

 

Intervention Programme

 

The Education Action Zone was introduced by the Gauteng Provincial Government in the year 2000 so as to assist schools to improve on performance and also to restore the culture of teaching and learning. Because of the previous years’ poor performance Boitumelong was also included in the programme. This came as a blessing to the school since the school managed to regain its footing and a gradual improvement on performance became evident. The highest pass rate of 56% was attained in the 2003 even though the results kept on fluctuating in the following years making it difficult for the school to attain the above 60% target that it aimed at.

 

Staffing

 

Mr. L.V. Makhothi the first principal of the school served from August 1975 up to June 1983. He started with a staff of ten educators and a clerk. As the enrolment of learners increased, the number of staff members also increased up to twenty-six in the year 1977. When he left to take up a position at District office the school had already established matric classes.

 

His successor, Mr. B.M. Mtshali, who was deputy principal at the school, served up to the beginning of the year 1999. During this period the staff had increased up to fifty-six educators with eight educators appointed as departmental heads. He also left to take up a senior position at the District Office.

 

Governance

 

The school acquired the section 21 status in 2000 which means it is allocated functions which enables it to manage its own finances using the funds allocated by the education department. The school governing body is allocated this task and also the task of raising funds through other means.

 

Sponsorship

 

In the past the school was once sponsored by the following companies:
Richardson & Vicks assisted educators financially with the upgrading of their qualifications up to 1985. Cullinan Holdings assisted the school with the purchase of learning support material and the maintenance of buildings up to 1994. 
Currently, the school is receiving assistance from DIEBOLD SA in the form of equipment; furniture; the upgrading of staff and learners’ sponsorships.