Tutoring school offers opportunity to finish matric

The Self Help Matric Tutoring School is donating their services to one person who needs help to finish their matric.

The tutoring school, hosted at Cedar High School of Arts, Rocklands, has helped students who have dropped out of school, could not finish their matric exams due to circumstances and those older than the school going age to finish their matric exams, said co-founder Elton Barry and facilitator Tyrone Meyer.

Recipient, Ayesha Mia, 37, from Beacon Valley, who passed her exams, said she’d always had this one goal but thought she wouldn’t achieve it until she met her facilitator at the tutoring school.

“At Self Help I was given the full matric experience; we had a matric ball as well as a valedictory. The amount of support and motivation I received from the moment I started up and until the very end at Self Help was phenomenal,” she said.

She was honoured as valedictorian and received certificates of academic excellence. She received a higher certificate pass and is now able to study further.

Meagan Lakay, 37, from Lentegeur, a mother of three girls, who said she is a “devoted wife, sister and daughter”, also received her National Senior Certificate.

“Like many other women, my journey has not been easy. I was a troubled young girl after finding myself an impressionable child, in the wrong company and not strong enough to deny temptation,” she said.

After not completing her matric many years ago, she started working, earned an income and became addicted to recreational drugs, “...which cost me my car, job and livelihood,” she said.

With a lot of help from her parents and family, she was able to correct her life.

She’s been clean for more than 12 years but had always longed to cross this finish line – after failing matric thrice.

“This wasn’t easy. But I owned my truth, my journey and even my barriers and knew that I would do everything to make sure my story had a happy ending,” she said.

She registered herself at the Self Help for her remaining subjects.

She let her immediate family know what she needed to be successful; and spoke to her bosses at work to make them aware that she was a full time matriculant and a full-time employee and took advantage of all the support.

The only words that come to mind is, “To God be All the Glory,” she said.

Ms Lakay’s husband and recipient of his matric certificate, Tyrel Lakay, 32, from Lentegeur, said Self-Help gave him the opportunity to believe in himself, face his fear and pursue his goal.

“It took me 13 years to go back to school. I felt like I could not move forward in my life no matter how many opportunities I got, not having matric later became a burden which I needed to overcome. Thank you to all the educators for their guidance, their patience and support throughout this journey especially for believing I could do it,” he said.

Daniel Dixon, 24, from Weltevreden, who passed his matric, said he was out of school for eight years before passing matric.

“I dropped out of school to work. I started working at 15, when I left school. My mind was on other things and my job,” he said.

“My experience with the tutor group has been very good in helping me try to finish matric. Although I've been out of school for eight years, the programme has encouraged me to learn and to help myself finish matric. Even if it takes time to learn it has given me the drive to try the best I can to finish school,” he said.

Self Help is sponsoring an underprivileged student who did not complete their matric.

“Due to us helping so many people, hearing their stories and their journey, we know it is not an easy task and therefore we want to sponsor a person who needs this opportunity to turn their lives around,” said Mr Barry.

This will include a free year with them as well as a free computer course.

“We thank God for allowing us to assist students to excel. We couldn't have made the programme a success without the assistance of Cedar High School, Colleen Abrahams, Ruth Hope, Hillary April and facilitators Tyrone Meyer, Mikhail Skink, Hope Shiri and Lucinda Dowers,” said Mr Barry.

For more information contact them on 083 495 1977 or email Selfhelptutoring@gmail.com