Top learners awarded full bursaries in Vosloours

Vosloorus-based NPO Karabo Centre for Maths, Science, and Commerce (KCMSC) and various sponsors recognised the hard work and commitment of its learners.

They celebrated the 100% pass rate and the best-performing learners at J Dumane Hall, Vosloorus, on January 26.

These included top learners from various schools in and outside Kathorus, who formed part of the NPO’s extra lessons programme at Vosloorus Comprehensive School.

Learners were awarded certificates, trophies and resources that will help them with their tertiary studies, including full bursaries and Mecer tablets.

While learners are celebrating passing matric with flying colours, this is not the end, as matric is the foundation of the career path they want to pursue, which will determine their future.

Only a handful of learners whose parents or guardians have saved for years for their tertiary education get an opportunity to further their studies, while the majority depend on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

This scheme, funding thousands of learners annually, cannot meet the demand of all matric learners annually. Like other funding schemes, it cannot fund everyone because of financial constraints and budget limitations.

A portion of the majority will be funded, while the others will be left in the cold. This is not the end for KCMSC beneficiaries who will not be funded by NSFS, as the centre is now the beacon of hope.

According to Collin Forka, director of KCMSC, the class of 2023 was in Grade 9 during Covid-19.

“We worked hard. The results are a test of the sacrifices of the teachers. We specialise in scarce skills and have some funders offering bursaries to our beneficiaries.”

Elspark resident Ndumiso Ntsimbini is a learner from Sunward Park High School who received a fully-funded bursary.

He said he is ‘super happy’ to have received a bursary because there were minor financial struggles with the family and he is going to study far from home.

“I need financial support. I am extremely happy about what KCMSC has done for me. I am going to study civil engineering, a four-year course at the University of Cape Town,” said Ntsimbini.

Another bursary beneficiary Siyabonga Melusi said matric was tough, but he had to defy the odds because his family looked up to him to finish school, get a bursary and pursue a career that would help to change the family’s situation and provide for them.

Melusi said he comes from a poor background and community. He lives with his mother and siblings at a rented house in Rondebult. His mother and sister are domestic workers, he added.

“I got a bursary and I am very excited because I am the first to go to university in my family. I have younger siblings who look up to me. I applied to the University of the Witwatersrand to study aeronautical engineering because I am interested in flying objects. I initially applied to do aerospace engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but could not get accepted,” Melusi.

Kgauhelo Matsieli, a learner from Phumulani Secondary School who achieved seven distinctions, said she attributes her success to the support she received from the dedicated teachers from KCMSC.

“I had no weekends and no holidays because I was attending lessons at Karabo. It takes a lot of sacrifice. I have been accepted at the University of Cape Town to study medicine,” said Matsieli.

He said the duration of the course is four years and he hopes to get a job when he completes so he can build his mother a home.

Another learner from Sunward Park High School, Njabulo Mabhena, who achieved seven distinctions with 92% in maths, said KCMSC helped him develop his mindset and prepare for the matric results by revising the past examination papers.

Maemu Libunyu, a learner from Lethulwazi Secondary School, achieved seven distinctions with 91% in maths.

“I attended lessons from KCMSC, and they taught me self-discipline and that I must be responsible for my studies. Despite sleepless nights being a challenge to study at night, I managed to excel.”

The bursaries were donated to KCMSC and its beneficiaries by the Gauteng City Region Academy, Peermont and Komatsu Foundation Trust.

KCMSC has been operating for the past 10 years and has sourced bursaries for 780 learners who were beneficiaries of their programme.

Karabo offers weekend and holiday lessons in the following subjects: maths, physics, accounting, and life science from Grades Nine to 12.

This centre enrolled 60 learners for the class of 2023, who achieved 76 distinctions with a 100% pass rate.