“A-m-n-e-s-t-y, amnesty.”
“C-o-l-l-e-a-u-g-u-e, colleague.”
Some words were trickier than others, but the young contestants in last Saturday’s spelling bee in Marselle gave every one their best shot. The competition was organised by Marselle resident Sibulele Jungula for participants in the Masincedisane study programme.
Jungula, who matriculated from Ikhamvelisizwe Combined School in 2022 founded the programme together with Lukholo Gqabuthi, in September last year to fill a gap they saw in their community.
Every weekday, and some Saturdays, 12 children from Grade 8 to Grade 12 come to the garage that he has set up as a learning space at his home. He and Gqabuthi provide tutoring in most of the core subjects.
“My aim is to develop learners so that they want to be something in their llives – and so they can see that what they dream is poaaible,” Jungula told Talk of the Town.
Jungula does not consider himself to be particularly strong academically.
“I matriculated in 2022 with a diploma pass,” he said.
But he understands what’s needed to help children get to grips with content – whether it’s tutoring or other resources.
“The access to quality education is limited in Marselle and many children are not given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our programme aims to change this by providing educational resources and support to children who live in Marselle,” Jungula said.
The Masincedisane programme aims to work in partnership with local schools to enhance their curriculum by providing a tutoring and mentoring service, as well as source other resources that school children in the area need.
Along with the programme participants’ parents, among the programme’s biggest supporters are the team from the Marselle Public Library. Assistant librarians Melia Solani, Lungiswa Siko and general worker at the library Zoleka Domkrag were there at Ikhamvelihle Creche on Marselle’s main street on Saturday, to lead and encourage the children as they tested their skills and knowledge. Creche supervisor Zanele Matyunu was programme director for the day.
After the spelling bee, the team from the library adjudicated two mini debates. The motions were ‘School uniforms should be compulsory at all schools’; and ‘All schools should be private schools’.
The Masincedisane participants received achievemement awards, and there were drinks and snacks for them and their supporters.
Jungula, 21, says he’d love to upgrade his own matric and study to be a teacher. Meanwhile, if you have a laptop computer to spare, the programme would really appreciate having it.
“There are computers at the library,” Jungula said. “But there are so many children in Marselle who need them that it’s difficult to get access.”
If you’d like to support the programme please call Sibulele Jungula at 068 004 5841.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, 25 April 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
