KAROO NEWS - From a typical small rural town where employment opportunities are easily perceived to be almost non-existent, a 27-year-old man of the Aberdeen soil finds his voice and says: "There are opportunities here. Especially for the youth. But you have to believe in, and apply, the 3 D's: dedication, discipline and determination."
Jumaine Gouws says the harder one works, the luckier one gets. "We have to create our own opportunities and strive towards a goal. Then we shall find there are opportunities."
On 19 May, Gouws was permanently appointed as a teacher at Luxolo Intermediate School in Thembalesizwe, Aberdeen.
Gouws completed his primary education at Kamdebo Primary in Lotusville, and in 2013 matriculated from Aberdeen Secondary.
In 2014 he started working as a seasonal farmhand at one of the farms in the district. For three months, he partook in one of the municipal programmes where he was stationed at the local dumping site. "Daily picking up rubbish, papers and plastic bags in the nearby field, taking it back to the main dump for the wind to blow it all over the place again, just to pick them up the next day again - I did what I found to make ends meet and to contribute to my family home," he says.
In 2015 he started as a casual worker at Foodzone. "The whole of 2015 I worked as a casual when my services were needed. In 2016 I was given a permanent appointment."
Gouws relays that for the first two years he had to focus on keeping the financial boat afloat at home. In 2017 there was a Departmental QLTC (Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign) outreach and that motivated him to become a teacher.
"I knew my circumstances did not allow me to leave Aberdeen and attend a university full-time. Part-time distance learning was the only way for me to realise my goal." In 2018 he enrolled for his first year of studies but had no official financial support. For his initial two years of study, he had to limit the number of subjects to his financial means. From 2020 he qualified for funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NFSAS) and in June 2022 he became a fully qualified teacher.
Gouws was not interested in considering teaching posts outside Aberdeen. "I am born and bred here. I want to make a difference right here in our town."
Luxolo Principal, Christo Frazenburg is proud of this newly appointed teacher. "Gouws shared his rands and saved his cents to make his dream a reality. He is in an English teaching position now, but with his life experience, can you imagine how well he is going to help shape our youth's vision for their future."
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