NGO assists rural pupils with studies

Holiday outreach gives information on tertiary study

THE transition from a pupil to a student can be a scary and intimidating change, but a youth organisation is using the winter holidays to assist rural pupils with university applications and other information.

Transition from High School to University (TFHTU) is a non-profit organisation run by university students from rural areas outside Mthatha since 2016.

Through their Facebook page and outreach programmes, TFHTU collects the pupils’ information and uses its own resources to apply for entrance to tertiary education on the pupils’ behalf.

Co-founder Siyolise Yoyo, a student at the Nelson Mandela University, said many rural communities do not have access to a lot of information about different career paths and tertiary institutions out there.

“What we do every year during the holidays is that we set up information desks at different winter schools where we provide pupils with career advice, application and bursary forms, study methods, mentorship programmes and any other relevant information about education-based issues that will help pupils to be better equipped,” he said.

Yoyo said they have reached out to more than 1 000 pupils since they started and have seen the impact it has had.

“For instance, where I am studying at NMU . . . when I got there in 2015, I found that there were less than 10 students from Qumbu and Tsolo, but now the numbers have grown and we are now planning on spreading to other universities,” said Yoyo.

He added that there was a misconception in rural communities that Walter Sisulu University is the only institution for higher learning and that if you do not get accepted there you will never be able to further your studies.

“Also, there’s this notion that if you do not have money you have no option, but now we teach people about bursaries and other ways to get funding. Some do know about bursaries but we understand that internet cafes can be too expensive and that is why we choose to apply for them, using our own resources,” he said.

According to Yoyo, their organisation is trying to bring change to situations where pupils stay at home after completing their matric because of challenges at home.

“It is also there to motivate and encourage pupils on the journey they are about to embark on and help them to get good results at the end of the year,” said Yoyo.

TFHTU will be giving career advice and bursary application information at the Qumbu-Shawbury Winter School Centre tomorrow.