I am Tintswalo

Catherine Khoza’s life spiralled into disarray after her mother died on the day she passed her matric about 20 years ago. 

She dusted herself off and got back on her feet after a 10 year “blackout”. 

“I forgot about my matric and about furthering my education. I started taking care of my son and siblings after having a blackout when my mother died,” she told Vukuzenzele in a recent interview.  

Today, Khoza holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and teaches at a school in the North West.

“After 10 years I had a challenge with my children. If you don’t have a qualification, children take it as if it is not wrong to not go to school or have a qualification. So I decided to go back to school just to motivate them.  

In 2012, aged 30, Khoza enrolled for a Level 4 certificate at the Reikantse Community Learning Centre (CLC). 

“I took this route because I thought my mind had gone blank, I was too scared to go to a mainstream learning institution. I did my ABET level 4 to refresh my mind so I’ll be able to keep up with the learning demands. 

The CLC is part of the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) community education training programme. 

“After passing my level 4, I gained confidence that I could get a degree. My educators thought I was good at mathematics and urged me  volunteer at the centre. I volunteered at the Reikantse centre for about three months,” she said.

Impressed by her educator skills, her colleagues at the centre urged her to pursue a qualification in teaching.

Spurred on, in 2014 she enrolled for a  Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the University of South Africa. She completed the degree in 2019.

“It was very difficult to get the degree because I didn’t have an income to fund my studies. I started by taking only two modules at a time and funded those using my children’s social grant,” she said. 

Her journey only gained momentum when the DHET offered her an employment contract as a CLC level 4 lecturer.

Upon obtaining her degree, Khoza worked at various schools in the North West and Gauteng on a temporary basis before being offered full-time employment at Mahobotle Primary School.