Eden and Central Karoo education district best in SA

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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Eden and Central Karoo education district has been named the best in South Africa in district leadership and management at the 2026 National Education Excellence Awards.

Jewel Jonkers, the district director, received the honours during the awards ceremony held at the NH Johannesburg Sandton hotel on Friday 24 July. The award recognises outstanding leadership, governance and support provided to schools across the district, which has 203 schools in its area of jurisdiction.

Jonkers said the award belongs to every person who contributes daily to quality education in the Eden and Central Karoo District. "My philosophy is 'God, people and effective systems'. We are deeply grateful to our teachers, principals, officials, support staff, school governing bodies, parents and partners who work tirelessly for the success of our learners."

He said the district, which is predominantly rural, often faces unique challenges. "But this achievement demonstrates what is possible when we work together with a shared vision and purpose. This recognition inspires us to continue striving to ensure quality education, equal opportunities and brighter future prospects for every learner."

The achievement was one of several for the Western Cape Education Department at the national awards, among which counted a Special Ministerial Award for achieving a National Senior Certificate pass rate above 80% in 2025.

In January, George Herald journalist Michelle Pienaar reported that the Eden and Central Karoo district's matric class of 2025 achieved an overall pass rate of 89.1%, which put it fourth in the provincial rankings, closely following Metro North (89.2%), Metro East (90.2%) and Overberg (92.4%). Eden and Central Karoo also achieved the best results in mathematics in the Western Cape and the second-best nationally.

The district also placed second in the Western Cape for life sciences and economics, third for physical sciences and English first additional language, and second for both Afrikaans home language and Afrikaans first additional language.

VIDEO: Watch Edmondo van der Berg, WCED eLearning advisor's short interview with Jewel Jonkers at George Airport.