Touching tale of a bright, poor boy

NO O-level results, skips Lower Sixth year, single formal lesson, gets 15 points but now facing prospect on missing out on university.

This aptly describes the sad but real life confronting a Bulawayo boy Tafadzwa Gomera, who wrote his A-level last year and got 15 points but now faces the reality of missing out on his dream to study law. His story sounds like a script plucked out of a movie script but sadly it’s a real life problem that seems to be threatening to stall his dreams.

According to his mother, Ms Margaret Bagu, Tafadzwa was learning at Maranatha High School in Bulawayo and sat his Ordinary Level examinations in 2016. However, because she is poor, she only managed to raise examination fees to enable his son to sit for the examinations.

“When the results came out, the school said since my son owed more than $1 000 he could not access the results. Up to today we do not know how he performed at Ordinary Level,” she said.

But that did not deter Tafadzwa and what he went through sounds more like a tale than real.

“When the school refused with the results we were stuck. We did not know what to do. When some of his former classmates started Lower Sixth classes, Tafadzwa told me that he also wanted to do A-level. We had a dilemma, there was no money and we did not know how he performed at O-level,” she said.

Ms Bagu said after his son just said he thought he passed because some of the students that he learnt with at O-level had done well.

“He told me, mum, I was better than some of these students so I think I did well so let me proceed to A-level.”

Ms Bagu said the problem that arose then was he could not enroll at a formal school since he did not have O-level results and on top of that she could not afford to take him to a private college.

“So one day, Tafadzwa said mom, I think I have a plan. I know you don’t have money so like what you did I just want you to look for money enough for me to register so that I write A-level. I will not do Lower Sixth but will just look for someone who will teach me but register so that I write this year (last year).”

Ms Bagu said as a mother she ran around and Tafadzwa registered as a private student at Herentals College in Bulawayo.

“He did most of the reading with the help of a private tutor who just volunteered to help him. It was just a crash programme. We were not sure how he was going to perform. And besides he was doing most of the reading on his own.”

When A-level results were released early this month, even Tafadzwa was shocked by his performance. He scored As in Ndebele, English Literature and History and Herentals offered him a scholarship to study Law at the University of Zimbabwe.

But even such a performance and help, against all odds still failed to bring smiles on Tafadzwa’s face.

“When he went to UZ to apply, they told him that they also wanted to see his O-level results. We went back to Maranatha and requested for the results. I even volunteered that they release the results and then I proposed a payment plan of $50 per month but they refused. They said I must pay a deposit of $500 first but I cannot afford that. Now my son risks not going to university. He was told the deadline for application is 2 March but now I do not even know what to do.”

Ms Bagu said she was appealing to well-wishers to help raise the $500 so that at least Maranatha can release her son’s results so he can apply before the deadline.

“I do not know who to approach but this is the problem. At least if I can get the deposit and then I will pay off the rest in installments so that my son can go to school. Herentals have indicated that he also risks losing out on the scholarship if he is not enrolled at the University. I am not employed and his father refused responsibility when I was still pregnant” she said.

Ms Bagu stays in Nketa and can be contacted on 0782536902.