The Zakhele Foundation team of Zakhele Xulu, Siboniso Nsusha and Thandwayimi Zwane visited Mvuzini High School in the Mvuzini area of eMondlo recently. They were accompanied by First National Bank (FNB) Vryheid staffers Nontokozo Ngcobo and Thrishen Pillay, Old Mutual representative Prettygal Buthelezi, and Ward 17 youth leader Mr Ngwenya.
The School Governing Body (SGB), School Management Team (SMT), educators, parents and learners held a ‘Term 1 Performance’ meeting where the principal, Mr Nkosi, scrutinized the academic performance of the learners according to the various subjects and classes, etc, and compare the results to 2020.
Zakhele Xulu started off the day’s proceedings by introducing himself and the other team members, the representatives from FNB and Old Mutual, and the youth leader. Miss Ngcobo from FNB then spoke about the importance of having your own bank account while studying. She opened bank accounts right then and there, and the cards are still to be collected at the branch. She couldn’t do this without of course mentioning the requirements in order to open a valid bank account, which are: Name of Bank – FNB; Type of Account – Easy Zero Account; Smartphone. 28 accounts were opened. Miss Buthelezi from Old Mutual took the stage to teach the learners about financial education, including topics like the importance of saving, what is credit, how to draft a budget, how to avoid debt, and lastly the meaning of the ‘Big 5’ animals on SA bank notes. Zakhele Xulu explained the following to the attentive high school children:
1. Importance of having your own email address; 2. What is an email address, because you can’t just assume everyone knows and has one; 3. Online storage tools. Due to 4IR, devices like the USB, CD and DVD are no longer exact tools on which to keep your personal documents safe and accessible at all times; 4. The fact that there are 26 public institutions in South Africa where a learner can enrol without fear, because all these institutions have access to accommodation facilities (residences) and also funding (NSFAS). Due to the increasing number of students who want to enroll, while the number of residences are limited, they have come up with ‘Off Campus Innovation’ to accommodate students. 5. Importance of applying early. Late applications and walk-ins are discouraged. 6. Universities have modified the point system from APS (Admission Point Score) to Applicant Score (AS), where raw marks are calculated to determine the ‘real score’. Some courses are selective as, apart from having outstanding marks, other procedures need to be followed, like:
– NBT (National Benchmark Test) and a medical examination by a registered general practitioner (GP); – Situational Judgement Tests; – Others require community involvement, auditions, portfolios, etc. Mr Xulu emphasised the importance of applying for NSFAS, because it is government funding to assist needy learners to study further, irrespective of socio-economical background, sexual orientation, church domination, etc.
He also elaborated on the requirements issue, as learners need to understand the requirements of a particular course. For example, what are compulsory subjects and recommendation subjects for that course, Admission Point Score, duration of the course, intake of the course, etc. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” – Pele ALSO READ:VRYHEID KZN: Foundation helps grade 12 learners with career advice
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