“When you get here your outlook on life changes. When I got here I looked at my background and realised I had to try to better myself. There is a lot here, there is capitalism inside but I chose to ignore that route because I knew what I wanted, hence I'm here today.”
Gumede said he wanted to be a cardiologist but found out physical science was not offered so he chose teaching instead.
“Now I want to be a maths and life sciences teacher. Thereafter I hope to do a bridging course in medical sciences and open my own private laboratory one day.”
Gumede is serving a 15-year sentence for robbery. He was arrested in 2017.
He has enrolled for a teaching degree through Unisa.
Also pursuing the same career path is Njabulo Gwala, 22, from Dassenhoek, who was number two in the province with five distinctions.
Gwala was sentenced to 12 years for robbery in 2017. He hopes to be released on parole next year. He said it was his desire to make his late mother proud and she gave him the strength to complete his studies.
“I didn't focus on school while I was outside but my mother died less than a year after I was arrested. That made me view life from a different perspective.
“Now everything I do is to honour her and my father who is still alive. I also want to be a good example to my younger brother when I get out of here and help him not to make the mistakes I made.”
Guest speaker, the principal of Ogwini Comprehensive High School in Umlazi, Dr Vusumuzi Dlamini, cautioned against the stigmatisation of inmates after serving their sentences.
“Learners who pass well here should be guided and supported to further their education, and they must be placed in a job when they are qualified, without experiencing any stigmatisation.”
He said the government should work with former prisoners who studied inside, instead of “blacklisting” them because they have criminal records.
“If a person has served his 15 years and got a master's degree while inside then spends 10 years with a stigma, how does that help the government? How does the country benefit from blacklisting this person? How many sentences must he serve? He has served his 15 years and you blacklist him?
“You can't punish a person twice. So why introduce schooling here? Why equip these people with capacity to perform and contribute towards nation-building when you're not going to give them a platform on which to perform?”
KZN regional head of development and care in the correctional services department, Jabulisiwe Chonco, said the job was not without its challenges, one of which is convincing inmates to study.
“There are still challenges that as a collective we have to resolve, ranging from resources and consequence management up to recruitment of learners, which seems to be a challenge in some schools in our region.”
She confirmed that Sicelulwazi from Estcourt will be writing their first matric exams this year, the third school from KZN.
A total of 60 learners from KZN prisons will write matric exams in 2022, the most so far.
PODCAST | Why are SA’s most deadly convicted criminals up for parole?
IN PICS | KZN matric inmates dance with joy as they celebrate results
Usethubeni Youth school stole the spotlight at the KwaZulu-Natal offenders' matric results announcement and awards ceremony at the Westville prison on Wednesday.
KwaZulu-Natal was celebrating the achievements of the class of 2021 where they were crowned as the best-performing region with a third consecutive 100% pass rate.
The region had 23 registered students from two schools — Usethubeni at Westville prison and Qalakabusha in Empangeni. Of those students, 18 achieved Bachelor passes and five got Diploma passes.
Among the awards Usethubeni achieved was the education minister’s award for best performing school after achieving a 100% pass for the sixth straight year, with 16 Bachelor passes from their 17 registered matriculants. They achieved the most distinctions and most Bachelors passes too.
They also produced three of the top five best-performing teachers and the second-best student nationally.
Sifundo Gumede, 21, from Empangeni passed with six distinctions — including mathematics and life sciences — and an 83% average overall.
He said he has learnt that being in prison is not an obstacle to anyone achieving their dreams.
LISTEN | Prison inmates achieve 77% matric pass rate
“When you get here your outlook on life changes. When I got here I looked at my background and realised I had to try to better myself. There is a lot here, there is capitalism inside but I chose to ignore that route because I knew what I wanted, hence I'm here today.”
Gumede said he wanted to be a cardiologist but found out physical science was not offered so he chose teaching instead.
“Now I want to be a maths and life sciences teacher. Thereafter I hope to do a bridging course in medical sciences and open my own private laboratory one day.”
Gumede is serving a 15-year sentence for robbery. He was arrested in 2017.
He has enrolled for a teaching degree through Unisa.
Also pursuing the same career path is Njabulo Gwala, 22, from Dassenhoek, who was number two in the province with five distinctions.
Gwala was sentenced to 12 years for robbery in 2017. He hopes to be released on parole next year. He said it was his desire to make his late mother proud and she gave him the strength to complete his studies.
“I didn't focus on school while I was outside but my mother died less than a year after I was arrested. That made me view life from a different perspective.
“Now everything I do is to honour her and my father who is still alive. I also want to be a good example to my younger brother when I get out of here and help him not to make the mistakes I made.”
Guest speaker, the principal of Ogwini Comprehensive High School in Umlazi, Dr Vusumuzi Dlamini, cautioned against the stigmatisation of inmates after serving their sentences.
“Learners who pass well here should be guided and supported to further their education, and they must be placed in a job when they are qualified, without experiencing any stigmatisation.”
He said the government should work with former prisoners who studied inside, instead of “blacklisting” them because they have criminal records.
“If a person has served his 15 years and got a master's degree while inside then spends 10 years with a stigma, how does that help the government? How does the country benefit from blacklisting this person? How many sentences must he serve? He has served his 15 years and you blacklist him?
“You can't punish a person twice. So why introduce schooling here? Why equip these people with capacity to perform and contribute towards nation-building when you're not going to give them a platform on which to perform?”
KZN regional head of development and care in the correctional services department, Jabulisiwe Chonco, said the job was not without its challenges, one of which is convincing inmates to study.
“There are still challenges that as a collective we have to resolve, ranging from resources and consequence management up to recruitment of learners, which seems to be a challenge in some schools in our region.”
She confirmed that Sicelulwazi from Estcourt will be writing their first matric exams this year, the third school from KZN.
A total of 60 learners from KZN prisons will write matric exams in 2022, the most so far.
PODCAST | Why are SA’s most deadly convicted criminals up for parole?
More than 200 prisoners to write matric exams this year
Prison inmates outperformed the overall national pass rate
TimesLIVE
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