NWU students empower the youth

In the spirit of youth month, The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL NWU) recently visited a disadvantaged school in Ikageng to help the matriculants with their university applications.

“We want learners to avoid standing in long lines in January, due to late applications. We identified that most of the youth don’t have access to resources like laptops and internet and we, therefore, decided to meet the need,” the ANCYL chairperson, Zolani Tyobeka, said.

A total of 40 learners were assisted on 15 June, just in time for youth day.

“We chose Tlokwe Secondary School specifically because of the high number of rural settlements around it,” Zolani explained. “Most learners don’t have access to the internet to apply for university.”

The school is situated on the outskirts of Ikageng and does not have proper access to internet cafes or centres where students can apply for tertiary education, “Sometimes, a lack of access leads to a loss of hope; it was, therefore, important for us to assist.”

They found that most of the learners did not have an email address, which slowed down the application process significantly.

Besides the email issue, many were not sure which courses they wanted to apply for. “Helping them choose the courses took the most time because we had to consider their interests, strongest subjects, etc.” Zolani continued.

Other than these slight challenges, the day was a success overall. “We saw this as an opportunity to motivate young people to take matters into their own hands and make a difference,” Zolani concluded.