BENSON NTLEMO
A rural Limpopo village mother whose 19-year old girl passed Grade 12 examinations with flying colours is up in arms against the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology, after her daughter’s application was rejected by all universities she applied to despite improving on her matric results.
Asnath Tinyiko Machebele, of Shihosana village in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality, Limpopo, who was a learner at the John Mbedle High School, sat for her Grade 12 examinations in 2019 and passed with flying colours.
She was not satisfied with her Maths symbol, and enrolled fulltime last year to improve her matric results.
But although she has passed, the Department of Basic Education has not captured her new results on the system.
Despite several appeals to fix the error, Department of Basic Education continues to feed her prospective universities with the 2019 matric results, leading to rejection of her applications.
In the 2020 results, Asnath attained A’s in Xitsonga and English, Bs in Life Orientation and Life Sciences, and Cs in Mathematics, Geography and Physical science.
She feels done badly in the 2019 results as she had B’s in Xitsonga and Life Orientation, C in English and D’s in Life Sciences, Geography and Physical science and E in Mathematics.
Asnath has applied almost in all universities and got rejected.
“Only two universities sent me letters of rejection, namely University of Johannesburg and North West University,” she said.
She said on Friday she made a late application to Walter Sisulu university of Nursing.
She said several universities she wrote to did not respond to her application and that was because they get the 2019 results in the Department of Basic Education’s system, and not the 2020 matric results.
She lists those who never replied to her application to include University of Limpopo, University of Tshwane and Technology, and the Sefako Makgato University
Asnath, who said she intended to pursue different optional careers in different universities rather than staying at home, says that even her application for a bursary was not successful.
“NSFAS did not get my latest results and as such my bursary application was rejected,” she said.
Her mother Letty Machebele said her daughter is distraught.
“She has worked hard because she has high aims in life. Imagine after she works so hard and she gets a raw deal from the department,” she said.
Local community leader Freddy Shivambe said the community of was hoping Asnath get admitted at a university so she contributes to young people from the village who get professions.
“The more young people get educated, the better for our community,” said Shivambe.
Department of higher Education, Science and Technology spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi was sent a message on Friday detailing the girl’s plight as well as the statement of results and he promised to issue a statement but he had not done so by the time of going to press.
- Inside Education
