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The Chronicle newsroom has been inundated with calls by angry parents, who said it was disappointing to note that their quest to provide quality education for their children was being defeated by poor performance.

The parents were also angered by the fact that schools from western suburbs such as Amavene, Mgoqo and JW Mthimkhulu performed better than affluent schools and knocked them out of the top 10.

According to a 2010 Grade Seven examinations analysis, highly regarded Dominican Convent and Petra Junior among other private schools dropped out of the top 10 schools.
Centenary school, one of the most expensive with a low pupil to teacher ratio with only 25 pupils, was on position 28 out of 106 schools with a 76 percent pass rate.

ZRP Ross Camp maintained its pole position with a 99 percent pas rate for the seventh consecutive year.
At Former Group B schools, located in the western suburbs, tuition fees are pegged between US$10 and US$20, while affluent schools charge between US$500 and US$900.

“This is daylight robbery by these private schools.  Children bring homework everyday and that leaves me thinking that we are the ones who are teaching our kids.
“How can old people like us teach Grade 3s,” said a parent, who did not identify himself, but said had a child at Petra.

He complained that private schools emphasised sports at the expense of academic activities.-Chronicle