​​Eight learners on the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) merit list and five on the top 20 list of the Northern Cape Department of Education's (NCDoE) were part of the 2015 Hope@Maties project.

Approximately a third of the group obtained A symbols in Mathematics and Physical Sciences and almost 50% did so in Accounting.

In 2015, 245 learners from six centres in the Western Cape and 110 learners from the Northern Cape attended this programme. 

Through this first opportunity university preparation programme, offered by the Stellenbosch University Centre for Pedagogy (SUNCEP) situated in the Faculty of Education, learners are offered additional tuition in specific subjects during their Grade 12 year.

Learners with an average of more than 70% at the end of Grade 11 are invited to become part of the HOPE@Maties Programme. These learners attend three holiday schools during their matric year. The best educators in the different regions are chosen to offer the extra tuition to the learners.

With the assistance of the division for Student Recruitment at Stellenbosch University (SU), the learners were also assisted to make informed career choices to apply for university admission. Most of these learners chose to enrol at SU.

Dr Trevor van Louw, Director of SUNCEP and the person who initiated this programme a few years ago, said the success of this programme can be attributed to "shear dedication of highly focused learners supported by their parents, school principals, teachers, officials from the Education Department and the SUNCEP tutors. We are very proud of this year's group. They performed very well. Congratulations to all of them".

The following learners are on the WCED's merit list.

Taskeen Ebrahim (Rylands High School) with 9 distinctions, Lionel Liam Leon Gordon (Bernadino Heights High School), Saarrah Hendricks, Habiba Modack, Ayesha Solomon and Thaabiet Parker (all four from Livingstone High School) and each with 7 distinctions), Shandre Jade Jansen (George Secondary School) and Siphokazi Trudy Mncameni (Mandlenkosi High School in Beaufort West), both with 6 distinctions.

In the Northern Cape, five learners on the top 20 list were in the Hope@Maties programme in 2015. They are the top performer Thiven Padyachy from Northern Cape High School in Kimberley as well as Cudray Olyn from Douglas, Thato Nyati from Kimberley Girls' High School, Erone Pretorius from Adamantia High School in Kimberley and Tusimang Sentle from Pampierstad.

This programme will be offered again in 2016.  For more information, visit the programme's web site http://www.suncep.sun.ac.za/UPP/Hope.html or phone us at 021 8083483/2274.