Community to the rescue
IT TAKES a village, as the saying goes, to raise a child, and for Phoenix matriculant Rishern Naick, this is as true as it gets.
Just a month ago, the former Eastbury Secondary School pupil was panicking as a lack of funding saw his dreams of one day becoming a doctor flying out the window.
Naick, 18, had scored seven distinctions and an aggregate of 93.4%, with his highest marks being 98% for accounting, life sciences and physics.
But, as POST had recently reported, his place to study medicine at UCT was in the balance as he could neither afford the fees, obtain state funding nor get a bursary.
But that’s all about to change, thanks to the generosity of strangers.
Having read the POST story, education superintendent Selvan Chetty sprang into action.
“Here was a learner who grew up in front of us, in our community, who had put our community on the map. It would have been a sin for us to let obstacles stand in his way,” said Chetty.
At the Mafukuzela-Gandhi circuit awards ceremony held recently, he pleaded for help.
“In less than five minutes, principals started raising their hands,” he said, adding that he then approached the Phoenix Poverty Reduction Association which managed to raise, in just six days, a staggering R40 000. But that’s not all. “Word went out and I received a phone call from a local businessman who said he was taking full responsibility for funding Naick’s seven-year tuition as well as accommodation fees,” said Chetty.
“That was when I saw that the spirit of ubuntu still lives.” The donor has requested anonymity. On Thursday, Naick’s former school feted him.
The day was full of emotions. The teenager’s mother, Lorraine, a single parent (her husband died), and grandmother, Tilly Naicker, both broke down in tears.
Naick also received a Dell laptop from Karen Naidoo of KN Contracts, his Afrikaans teacher gave him R1 000 for getting an A in the subject and the school gave him a further R1 000.
As if that wasn’t enough, he was the recipient of this year’s dux award and came first in the Phoenix central district and second in the education circuit.
“This is all too much and I never expected any of this,” an overjoyed Naick told POST.
He promised to give back to his community “in every way possible”.
“I know that when I needed help I received it within a short period of time,” he said.
“I will come back with that degree and serve my community.”
An only child, he said he would miss his mom when he goes to Cape Town next week.
“If you know what you want, work hard, never give up hope and if you dream big, you will make it big,” he said.
Proud Eastbury principal Jay Maharaj, who also taught Naick physics, said he had always known he was going places.
“He was always quiet in class and had his own unique way of questioning. Today he showed everyone that anything is possible, regardless of your background.”