By REGINALD KANYANE
A learner from Zinniaville Secondary School in Rustenburg, North West, Safiyyah Wadee (18) said, even though the COVID-19 pandemic and load-shedding had a negative impact on her studies, she is so grateful to be crowned the provincial top achiever.
Safiyyah received seven distinctions in all subjects with an average of 95%. She also received national recognition for being the third-best-performing learner in the country.
“I am super excited about being the provincial top achiever. I also received a national award on 19 January 2023. My highest subject was Mathematics with 99%.
“I would like to study medicine this year, preferably at the University of Witwatersrand. However, I’m still waiting for their acceptance letter. I am always fascinated by Human Biology, hence I want to study medicine,” she said.
Safiyyah further said, her auntie and uncle are excellent medical doctors in their various fields and what inspired her is that they are serving in public hospitals.
She added that South Africa has a shortage of medical doctors, especially in public hospitals.
“I want to make a positive impact and I am inspired by them. You know, the COVID-19 pandemic and load-shedding always had a negative impact on my time management skill.
“So, I created a timetable at the beginning of the year and made sure that, it was as detailed as possible. I was also disciplined, dedicated, and determined to follow it because I did not want to skew away from my study time,” said Safiyyah.
She encouraged those who did not make it not to despair, but to work harder. Her mother. Tasneem Wadee shared the same sentiments.
“Safiyyah worked extremely hard and she was dedicated to her studies. She was one of the best achievers since Grade 1, so we are blessed to have her as our child.
“She is one person who never gives up and she made sure that, she performed well in every assignment, test, or exam paper. We were always there to show her support through her journey,” she said.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said even though the province received 79.8% and occupied position five, the class of 2022 showed resolute character, tenacity, and resilience. Motsumi also lauded Grade 12 learners for not allowing any external force to derail them.
“It is true that darkest nights produce brightest stars. You prevailed over the stark realities stemming from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown restrictions.
“We also experienced load-shedding, inclement weather, floods, and community service delivery protests that could have easily taken you off the rails of achieving your academic goals,” she said.
Motsumi said that even though there are challenges, her department is a system on the rise. She said to this end, they have invested in the learners.
The Guardian 