THE KwaNgcolosi Community Hall was filled to the brim with pupils who were eager to begin planning their futures with the advice given to them during an afternoon-long career expo.
Th educational event was hosted by local NPO, Future Stars Care Centre, an organisation that cares for orphans and vulnerable children. High school pupils from Grade 8 to Grade 11 from Hlahlindela High School and Kwabazothini High School were invited to attend.
“We aimed this event primarily at Grade 9s to help them understand and choose the best possible subjects that they will need for their future careers,” said Hlengiwe Msomi, founder of the organisation. “This will be a way to motivate them as so many children choose the wrong subjects and as a result they drop out and don’t ever finish their studies.”
By hosting the event and inviting various community stakeholders, Hlengiwe said that the inclusion of the local leaders would have a snowball effect on the rest of the community and encourage them to become involved in children’s education.
Two tertiary education institutes were invited to help by offering career and subject advice as well as give the pupils insight and advice on pursuing their studies once their high school chapters were complete, such as where and how to apply for bursaries.
Hlengiwe invited two past pupils from each of the high schools to talk. Bonga Bhengu, one of the past pupils, has a bachelor of education and is currently studying for a BCom in accounting while working as a student teacher. Phakama Ndlovu, after his studies, was hired as an administrator at McCord Hospital.
“We even invited the children who have competed matric but did not study to come through and gather information and hopefully are encouraged to study further,” said Hlengiwe. To support the work done by Future Stars, contact Hlengiwe on 076 642 1069.
