On Saturday the 21st of January, the Nyanga branch hosted a Matric Orientation Day for all 2017 Matric Parents and Learners. The purpose of this event was to welcome the Matric Class of 2017 and to orientate both parents and learners about how the Matric year looks for an Ikamvanite. The programme for the day started with a Parent Information Session: This session included a discussion of the 2016 Matric Challenges; an introduction to the mentoring programme and important milestones such as tertiary applications and NBT’s (National Benchmark Tests). The 2017 Matric Calendar was also shared and explained to the parents and learners. The parents were given a copy of the calendar to take home and use as a reference during the course of the year.
After the Parent Information Session, the branch introduced its motivational speaker for the day: Kamvalethu Willie. Kamvalethu Willie is an Ikamvanite from the Matric Class of 2016. He shared his journey with IY and how the programme has benefited him. Kamvalethu also shared that he is the first person in his family to pass Matric and the first to go to University. He has been accepted at UCT (University of Cape Town) to study B.Comm Financial Accounting with a full bursary. He advised the Class of 2017 to stay focused and to set clear goals for the future. He also shared a vision board he used in 2016 to keep himself motivated and to not lose sight of his goals. Kamvalethu’s speech left some parents with tears in their eyes. Kamvalethu plans to return to the branch as a volunteer in 2017. The Nyanga branch wishes him all the best in his studies.
[Kamvalethu Willie addressing the meeting]
Head Tutor in 2016, Sihle Sosanti, also addressed the Matric parents and learners. She addressed the parents and learners from the perspective of a tutor at the branch; outlining what is required from learners in their matric year. She also stressed the importance of parental support at home for learners. She completed her address by requesting that parents, tutors, branch staff and learners work together in order to make this year a success.
The session with the parents was then closed and the learners stayed behind for a meeting with the branch staff and tutors. The aim of this meeting was to discuss the tutoring schedule for Matric learners and to find out the needs of the learners, such as extra resources or extended tutoring hours. The learners were shy at first, but they gradually started to voice their opinions. The meeting was the beginning of paving a way forward for 2017.
[Nyanga Branch staff, tutors and learners]
[Gifts for Matric 2017 Learners]
We are grateful to all those who attended this first event for the Nyanga Branch in 2017! We look forward to many more successful events.
Lloyd Lungu