In an effort to empower and advise the learners about the importance of choosing the right subjects at high school, those that are in line with the career-related stream they choose at tertiary level, the Etafeni Centre in Nyanga hosted a careers expo at Linge Primary in the area on Thursday 30 October.
The theme of the event, which was attended by Grade 7 learners only, was “Plant the seed”.
After-school coordinator Ndileka Sibali said its purpose for learners to understand career paths and what qualifications are needed for different industries. She said the object is to motivate and inspire young learners to focus on their studies.
Etafeni is a multi-purpose centre, serving special-needs children, housing a day-care centre and after-care.
“We invited people from Nyanga and surrounding areas, some of whom are at varsity and others who are in professions,” Sibali said. “We wanted our learners to see that background does not determine one’s future. If they are focused they can be whatever they want to be.”
She described Nyanga as a volatile area, where many learners drop out of school and join gangs. So the purpose of organising such an expo was to make education fashionable, said Sibali.
“This is the first time we have organised such an event. We are planning to do it annually. Our target are Grade 7 learners because they are the ones who are on the verge of going to high school.”
One of the speakers, Dr Lwandile Tokwe, who is a senior researcher at University of Cape Town, said the aim is to bring hope to children. He said it is vital for learners, particularly who are at high school, to choose their subjects wisely.
“It is rare to find such initiatives in the townships. Many learners go to varsity not knowing what they want to do. Sometimes some of them choose the wrong courses because they want to go to university. They end up dropping out before completing because they lose interest.” So learners need to be smart when choosing their high-school subjects, Tokwe advised.
Linge Primary School deputy principal Edward Bisha said he hoped this educational initiative would uplifting the learners’ spirits, one of enthusiasm about moving forward and pushing themselves onwards in a sensible fashion.
Learner Luthando Fikizolo (13) said he found the expo helpful, useful and inspirational. “We were advised to choose our subjects for high school wisely and encouraged to focus on our studies instead of doing wrong things.”
