The North-West Province saw a notable increase in its matric results this year. Matriculants in the Province managed to achieve an 86.2% pass rate, which represents a 9% from 2015. The IkamvaYouth branch in Ikageng (situated at the Thembalidanisi Primary school) saw the latest cohort of Matriculants achieving an 80% pass rate, with 70% attaining Bachelor passes or Diploma passes, ensuring their eligibility for tertiary education. This is the third cohort of Matriculants that has gone through the Ikageng branch, making a big step towards earning a dignified living.
Access to learners is one of the challenges that come with running an after-school programme. Learners often find themselves caught between attending tutoring at IkamvaYouth or attending sessions at their schools which can sometimes be mandatory. To overcome this hurdle, on the 23rd of February 2016, IkamvaYouth and the
North-West Department of Education and Sport Development signed a Memorandum of Agreement which stipulates that “The Department and the NPO have a common objective to ensure learners pass and access post-school opportunities in relation to access to tertiary education and/ or formal employment.” Working together, we are able to “enhance and maximise the use of scarce resources”. This collaboration has definitely had an impact on the outcome of our Matriculants in 2016 and we hope this is a relationship that will last long into the future.
Isac Sithole is a learner from the Ikageng branch’s class of 2016, and obtained a Bachelor pass. He said that “IkamvaYouth has helped me realise that there’s a chance for me to make it in life no matter what. All I have to do is work hard and stay determined… I have learned that this life is for me to live independent of my circumstances. IkamvaYouth really helped me because it’s where I could get extra time to cover my school work because I was always behind and it also provided internet access which really helped in many ways. I am really thankful for that”.
IkamvaYouth’s tutoring programme is available to learners from grades 9 -12, three times a week and for two weeks during the winter holidays. The tutoring programme is made possible thanks to the hearts and smarts of the amazing volunteer tutors; most of whom are university students and many of whom are ex-learners from the programme. The organisation operates in the North-West thanks to collaborative partnerships with its feeder schools, and supporters including
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, in addition to tertiary institutions in the region, and schools which provide branch venues free of charge.
About
IkamvaYouth is a non-profit organisation, enabling disadvantaged youth to pull themselves and each other out of poverty through education. The organisation provides free after-school tutoring, career guidance, mentoring, computer literacy training and extra-curricular engagement to learners in grades 8-12. The organisation is currently operating in 16 townships in five provinces across South Africa. To find out more, go to www.ikamvayouth.org or call Hetile on 062 105 1707.
Lloyd Lungu