Only HPS can claim 100% pass rate for Grade 12 and for Abitur

Learners of the Deutsche Höhere Privatschule (DHPS) last weekend celebrated their outstanding academic achievements posting once again a 100% pass rate. Eighty four learners completed their final 12th year at DHPS in 2013.

A total of 41 Grade 12 pupils of the DHPS sat for the trial National Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSC) examinations. Monique Jakob was the best student in her class excelling in all subjects at higher level with an average of 86%. The other 43 Grade 12 Abitur pupils of DHPS received their school leaving certificates during a festive valedictory service held on 2 November. The private school said it is very proud of its students. Not only was an outstanding 100% past rate achieved this year but all 51 Abitur school leavers of 2012 also passed their examinations.
Over 22% of the total candidates in 2013 achieved an average of over 85 % and Bianca Kasch was the first in the Abitur class with an average of  94 %.
Pupils who follow the National Senior Secondary Certificate route have all their subjects taught in English and to maintain the highest standards possible, DHPS is one of the few schools that offer all NSSC subjects at higher level only.
Bilingual education provides learners with the competitive advantage in their future careers and DHPS therefore offers three compulsory languages namely German, English and French or Afrikaans. Additional subjects in the NSSC stream are Mathematics and a choice of two subjects from the following: Physical Science, Biology, Accounting, Business Studies, Geography and Art & Design. This curriculum is further enriched with art, music and sport tuition.
The German International Abitur (DIAP) consists of bilingual medium of instruction; Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are taught in English and the following other subjects namely German, English, French or Afrikaans, Biology, History, Social studies or Geography, Art or Music and Sport, are taught in German. Furthermore two of the three natural science subjects (Physics, Chemistry or Biology) are compulsory at DIAP level.
As in all 142 German schools worldwide, the emphasis at DHPS, in terms of language education, lies with the German language. However, DHPS as a truly Namibian school provides educational opportunities for a mix of learners from different Namibian language backgrounds. Language integration programs already begin with the smallest members of the school community, at baby group level and carry on during the Kindergarten and pre-primary phase.
Starting with Grade 1, DHPS offers 1 English medium class and 3 German medium classes. From Junior Secondary onwards (Grade 5-9) some subjects are taught in a ‘collective mix’ in order to integrate pupils of the English Medium Branch and the German Junior Secondary Section.
Additionally the school offers a wide variety of extra mural activities, school outings and an after-school care system.
There are three professionals on the staff including a school psychologist, who care for learners with learning difficulties in the remedial center.  DHPS is on the forefront when it comes to digital media in the classroom, all 52 class rooms are equipped with smart boards that are connected to the Internet.
IT teaching is offered in additional media labs equipped with 90 PCs.
The school library currently holds approximately 10000 media, 10 computers connected to the Internet and is open daily from 7 to 4 pm. The boarding school of DHPS offered a ‘home away from home’ for 100 pupils in 2013 and provides, not only for its boarders but also for any pupil who would like, a cooked meal for lunch.
The school premises comprises several sport fields, a 25-metre swimming pool, an inline hockey field as well as a state of the art gymnasium and the school hall that can accommodate over 700 people.
The school currently consists of 1168 children (from baby group to Grade 12), 117 teachers and 68 members of the administrative staff – a school community that strives for excellence, integration and international competitiveness.