Cape Town -Moses Isiagi has a story to tell. It’s a story of how a village boy from a third-world country made it to the top in a first-class institution.
Isiagi, from Uganda, channelled the pain of the death of his mother and a father who could not afford his fees, to complete two honours degrees and a masters degree at UCT in 2019.
“It’s the best thing that has happened to a black child from a low-resourced setting that is working against all odds of their social economic situation. It’s a place where there is an abundance of joy from our parents, relatives and friends. It’s a platform for Ubuntu where we carry ourselves and light the torch for those that will come after us and enable them also to dream,” he said.
Every first Friday in December, UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng runs a social media campaign called Make Education Fashionable, which is to highlight the importance of post-school education.
Graduates are encouraged to share their inspirational stories and the campaign is used to inspire and make education trend on social media.
This is not about boasting, but rather to encourage others, Phakeng said.
“This is not about complaining about the value of education but it's about ensuring young people understand that getting post-school education is not meant to be easy. This is not about complaining about jobs but it’s about recognising that as graduates we ought to be innovative enough to create new jobs. This is about recognising that we are masters of our own destinies and create our own stories of victory,” she said.
The campaign, which has been running since 2015, includes students from across the country. Some of the most tweeted stories are: financial struggles, academic and mental health difficulties, the support from family and friends during post-school studies and inspiring resilience.
Phakeng said given her current position, many young people think she was smart and never failed or experienced hardship. However, that is not the case.
“In my first year I failed chemistry because I wanted to complete my degree in a record time. I asked myself what it is that I want from my degree and can do about it. It was at that time, I decided that I don’t care about chemistry. I actually love mathematics and that is what I want to get out of my degree. I decided to drop chemistry and focus on graduating with pure mathematics as a major. Young people have to make tough decisions and not populist decisions about their future,”said Phakeng, who completed her undergraduate BA Ed degree with pure mathematics as a major at North-West University and all her postgraduate qualifications until her PhD at Wits University.
Weekend Argus