Empowering South African Youth Through Education

Courage.  Determination.  And smarts.  These are three attributes common to a very special group of Umkhumbane Schools Project students – our Career Bridge scholars, whose continuing study of maths and science is being made possible through the generosity of our Global Giving donors.  With our gratitude, let me introduce you to this great group of young people supported by your generous donations:

Who are the Career Bridge scholars?

They are ten aspiring university students who finished high school last year with strong enough results to earn a Diploma Pass or Bachelor Pass, meaning they qualified for entry into higher education.  That’s the first sign of their smarts!  Yet these scholars did not gain admission to the higher education fields that are their passion.  They are a future architect, a future environmental scientist, a future nurse --  to name but three.   All came from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-resourced schools, some from our USP schools and some from as far away as Eastern Cape Province.  And all had a common weakness in their college applications: their marks in mathematics and physical sciences.

Here’s where courage and determination come in.  Instead of settling for a less-challenging course of study for which they feel no real interest, or giving up altogether on their dreams of pursuing higher education, these students are spending the current academic year studying maths and physical sciences with the Umkhumbane Schools Project’s Career Bridge Program.  This coming November, they will rewrite their National Senior Certificate exams in these two subjects and apply again for admission to the fields that they really want to pursue.  That takes courage...especially when the pressure of poverty could easily push them to settle for a low-wage job, if one could be found.  And it takes determination to embrace the task of relearning subjects that have never been personally rewarding.

What does the program provide?

The USP’s Career Bridge provides 90-minutes of classroom teaching three afternoons per week in both math and physical sciences.  Our teachers are two seasoned and energetic educators who are enjoying the challenge of helping this group get to where they want to go.  And through a fantastic local partnership, Career Bridge classes are held in classroom and lab facilities at a nearby independent school.  So these students are getting --  for the first time ever  --  focused instruction by top-notch teachers in a well-equipped, small-class setting.  We also provide individual career and applications guidance to help them navigate the process of gaining admission the second time around.

And how are they doing?

Though there is no guarantee of success with this round of college applications, we are so encouraged by the transformative change in the students' performance on tests (three of the group are consistently attaining A’s on internal tests, and all are passing!)  Best of all is what they say – “I love physics now!”  “I can’t believe how much stronger I feel in maths!” and “Our teachers are awesome!”

None of this could have happened this year without the help of our GlobalGiving donors.   While our other programs are continue to thrive, we are so pleased to have added this project --  it fills a real void in what is available to disadvantaged learners in their quest for educational opportunity.

From all of us at The Umkhumbane Schools Project….Thank You!!!