Johannesburg- Sukuma Academy is a non-profit organization that has a great interest in catalyzing the South African education system.
Sukuma Academy is based in Hammarsdale outer west of Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Speaking to Sunday World, Lungelo Mbhele(28) said that Sukuma Academy started off as a study group.
The study group was formed by Lungelo Mbhele and Nkosingiphile Nxumalo, back in 2013.
Lungelo did his matric in 2012 but felt he didn’t pass the way he wanted to pass, so in 2013 he redid his matric.
Lungelo is a Durban University of Technology Analytical Chemistry graduate, who later on, pursued his PGCE at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and is now a qualified teacher by profession.
“Sukuma Academy officially started off in 2015 when we registered the NPO. We started this initiative because we saw the need of helping pupils in townships schools, so they could excel with their matric results,” said Lungelo.
“In Hammarsdale we have ten if not eleven schools so we conduct extra classes for the major subjects such as your science subjects, maths, and accounting subjects.
“Basically what we do is conduct classes on weekends, especially Sunday’s because we don’t want them to clash with their own extra classes that they have at their schools.”
“I work together with other tutors who are volunteering and what we normally do is those previous matric pupils who excelled, come back and teach the current matrics and the cycle goes on and on.”
Sukuma Academy helps pupils from Hammarsdale but they have do have students from outside of the area, as far out as Limpopo.
Due to Covid-19, they had to resort to doing classes via WhatsApp and that is when they were able to reach other pupils in different provinces.
“The challenges that we are currently facing is that we don’t have proper funding, to print out past question papers for our students, and also to provide certain material to the pupils attending these classes.”
The academy currently has 180 students who attend these classes at Skhethuxolo High School and many more students that want to get into the programme.
“This year we have managed to get donations from people in the community just so we can get by and be able to photocopy past papers and just so tutors can also help out,” concluded Lungelo.
Sukuma Academy has managed to get many pupils into almost 80% of the South African Universities. The NPO has managed to groom one of 2019’s National Top achievers who came first in Quantile 1, Siyabonga Cele.
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