Lentegeur granny matriculates

A Lentegeur grandmother is encouraging young people to stay in school after she matriculated weeks ago.

Feroza Nanga, 55, was one of 106 adults in the Metro South Education District (MSED) who received their results on August 3 on completion of their June examination alongside younger part-time candidates, who had written the national senior certificate (NSC) qualification last year, including Life Orientation as a subject and school-based assessments.

Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Millicent Merton said 33 candidates in the district achieved a senior certificate Bachelor’s pass, 46 achieved a Diploma pass and 27 achieved a Higher Certificate pass.

Candidates were able to collect their results at the schools where they wrote the exams and check on the WCED website.

“The NSC/SC June examinations are written by part-time candidates who often write or re-write only selected subjects,” she said.

The adult matric class of 2022 had their fair share of challenges to complete six subjects over 10-months while juggling work, family and the national Covid-19 lockdown.

They encouraged their younger counterparts and other adults to pursue their education.

Bevelery Moffert, principal of Mont Blanc Education, Skills and Etiquette Centre in Tafelsig, said the adult students were very committed.

“Ons mense is slim. A handful of them were not very comfortable with English but we encouraged and motivated them knowing that they could do it,” she said.

Ms Moffert said about 3 000 young people drop out of school in Tafelsig every year.

She had gone from street to street calling on adults to recruit students.

Anyone who had passed Grade 9 and is older than 16 is urged to complete their schooling.

She said the teachers gave them the tools to work from home via social media and video tutorials.

“My aim is to open a mathematics and science school in Tafelsig for our people,” she said.

“Our people have bright futures ahead of them all we need is to take the opportunities given to us,” she said.

Ms Nanga was in Standard 7 in Atlantis when she decided to leave school and seek employment in one of the factories.

Today, she has no regrets but said she could have had a career or a better job had she stayed in school.

She started as a cleaner at a clothing manufacturer, then became a runner - fetching thread, fabric or notes for employees, and then a machinist.

During her 30 years away from school, Ms Nanga got married, had children and now looks after her grandchildren. They moved to Cape Town, lived in Crawford and have been in Lentegeur for more than 30 years.

Ms Nanga decided to return to school the same night she did a good turn by taking her younger neighbour for night classes three years ago at Cornflower Primary School, in Lentegeur. This, months after recuperating from a knee injury sustained when she jumped into a pool in 2019. The doctor had said it was a horrific injury.

“He said he will fix my knee enough for me to walk at least and I've never looked back,” she said.

“I was supposed to be helping her fill in forms but instead I was filling in my own details,” she said.

She did the assessment advised she should do Level 4 but after one class she asked to attend Level 3 classes in 2020.

“It was very interesting. I had to adjust and I was forever the eldest in class,” she said.

Months into it, Covid-19 hit and she had to work on her own from home.

When the lockdown regulations were reduced she had planned to continue on her own but later decided to attend class and take a chance.

Ms Nanga would like to continue learning and teaching adult literacy.

“I would encourage young people to stay in school and complete your matric. You don’t know what the future holds,” she said.

On Friday August 19, the Tafelsig matric class hosted a thank you and celebratory masquerade dinner for their teachers and classmates at Pietie’s Place in Strandfontein.

In November the Tafelsig community based school will start Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) levels for those who dropped out of primary school.