Lucky Given Baloyi has defied all the odds to come out top after having a severe intellectual disorder (SID) in his formative years at primary school.
Now a top Grade Eight learner at Kenilworth Secondary School, Lucky was previously at Turffontein Primary School, where his teachers identified his problem.
He was in Grade Three for two years in Ntombi Twala’s class when they discovered his challenges. He was moved to Nonhle Tshabalala’s class when they found he had difficulties reading and writing.
Tshabalala deals with the learners with special education needs (LSEN) at Turffontein Primary School.
“At the school, we support, identify, and access support from the area of need for any learner with challenges. I am a school-based support co-ordinator, where learners with special needs are attended to. I also deal with vulnerable learners and the community.
“Lucky showed different kinds of barriers we unlocked within three months. He was in my class for a year. He was then returned to the mainstream in Grade Six in 2022,” she said.
The deputy principal at Turffontein Primary School, Zanele Khanyile, said Lucky excelled in all subjects and was one of their top achievers.
“This trend continued in Grade Seven. However, it was in a special class where Lucky was unlocked intellectually. All praise goes to special class educator Tshabalala, who worked her magic into this young man. When learners have this problem, usually others take them to do manual jobs and drawings. Here, we unlock the potential of the learner. Lucky is a good example.”
This year, he started Grade Eight at Kenilworth Secondary School, where he excelled and became one of the top 10 achievers out of 300 learners.
His mother, Josephine Baloyi, thanked Turffontein Primary School for helping her son.
“He now loves and respects his books. Turffontein Primary did a great job. They even helped me apply to Kenilworth Secondary School. I didn’t have the means and was thinking of taking him to Limpopo. However, they pulled through for us. Lucky is still doing great and continues where teacher Tshabalala left off. Thank you again to the school,” she said.
Lucky praised Turffontein Primary School for taking care of him.
“Thank you for the support during my journey. It was hard, but I persevered. Teacher Tshabalala showed I have the potential to be great. When I finish high school, I want to further my studies in AI engineering,” he said.
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