Sacrificing for pupils
White matrics join class too
ATOWNSHIP maths teacher has been praised for going the extra mile by giving up his weekends to hold free extra lessons for dozens of matric pupils from several Sunshine Coast schools.
Teaching for up to 12 hours at a stretch, the impressive marks achieved by dedicated Velile High School teacher Mzikayiso Mani’s Bathurst pupils soon had white youngsters coming to his prefabricated township classroom asking for help.
“The first time the white pupils came here I was a bit nervous because I did not know what the reaction would be like.
“Although I anticipated my pupils would be excited to see them at their school, I was worried how the whites would feel,” he told Saturday Dispatch.
According to Mani, they got on fine the first day, were friends by the second and started exchanging contact details on the third.
“It was a great experience, it was more than just maths. It was so nice to see [white] parents bringing food for everyone to eat at the extra lessons.”
Married to a supportive teacher, Mani gave up long weekend hours away from his wife Fikiswa and their six-month-old son Zezethu to help the pupils realise their dreams.
“Without her support, I would never be able to do it,” he said.
Reluctant to take any praise for sacrificing so much of his time for the pupils – free of charge – Mani prefers to praise them for making the effort to be there.
“It is not about me. Credit must go to the pupils. They worked long and odd hours and listened to me. They were dedicated and committed.”
Although Grade 12 Port Alfred schoolboy Duke Lee was apprehensive when he first went for extra lessons in Nolukhanyo Township, this soon changed.
“It was different coming here, I was nervous – I did not know what to expect.”
Failing maths lit at school, Lee went for one extra lesson at Mani’s township house in June that cost R100 for four hours.
Impressed by the expert tuition, the 18-year-old asked for more lessons and was told he could save his money by joining the weekend school group.
Soon others from his school followed him every weekend to study. Lee praised Mani for his patience and easy teaching skills.
“He is the best maths teacher I have had. If I knew at the beginning of the year how good Sir’s teaching is, how spotless the school grounds are and how friendly the people are I would have come to school here.” Lee’s new friend, Velile “Skopie” Mpolweni – who has been accepted to study pharmacy at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) next year – said he would not have achieved his dreams without Mani’s help.
“The extra classes did wonders for all of us and our marks have gone up. Meeting Duke and the others was a life-changing experience. It is not easy for guys like us from poor backgrounds to meet young white people – it changed all of us.”
He said Mani was like a father to all the pupils and said he had never met a teacher like him before.
“He is a very, very special teacher.”
Phelokazi “Perloh” Kombisa, 18, said when Lee and his friends first arrived they were very shy.
“As time went by we clicked and became like family, it was an awesome experience.” When Mani first arrived at Velile in 2008, the matric science pass rate was 0% and the maths pass rate 7%. In 2013 the maths pass rate was 75% and science, 58%.
He thanked principal Wendy Mfazwe for her support.
Duke’s grateful father Carl Lee said: “It boggles my mind he is doing it free. Where do you find dedication like this today, he is not there for the glory.” — davidm@dispatch.co.za