VUT Alumnus lands in Rantsane Secondary School in Qwa-Qwa- “We are moving into a more technologically savvy world, so we need to keep up’’.

by Thato Phalole

Rantsane Secondary school Class of 2021

On Monday, 10 May 2021, The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Alumni Relations Department visited the Rantsane Secondary School in the breath-taking mountains of Qwa-Qwa. The main objective of the visit was to offer support to selfless alumni in their efforts to land a hand to their needy community; Rantsane Secondary school. The school  comprises a new generation of dynamic young people facing a number of socio-economic challenges which the alumni relates to. This is a follow-up to a handover in 2019 where the class of ’93 did the same gesture; giving back to their home school. The event was a hand-over of collected items and a guidance session which was coordinated by an alumnus of the school, Mr. Elvis Motloung, currently a senior Fire-fighter official at Emfuleni Fire and Rescue station in Vanderbijlpark. As part of the handover, several other alumni from the class of ’93 were introduced to the current Grade 12 class of 2021. About 300 sanitary towels were handed over to grade 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 learners respectively as per the need.

Alumni Relations with the Corporate Communications team handled the career guidance session giving away corporate gifts and branded items to participating learners. Mr. Peter Masombuka; Head of Department (HoD); Alumni Relations reiterated the importance for pupils to strive for the best as they depict the best. He stressed the importance of giving back reflecting on what the class of ’93 was doing to their secondary school now and then. “It’s upon every one of you to identify needs in your immediate communities to bring valued change. These brothers and sisters of the class of 93’ once seated where you are seating and today they are giving back to you. Always remember that.” he said. Career guidance was aligned to their specific subjects of choice per discipline offered at VUT.

Mr. Peter Masombuka; Head of Department (HoD); Alumni Relations actively engaging with the learners

The learners were assisted to understand the importance of university, the minimum requirements needed to qualify for various programs, the importance of sports participation, emphasis on identifying great study techniques, VUT residences, financial aid/bursaries as well as enrollment procedure at VUT. Katlego Zwane; a Grade 12 Pupil praised VUT with excitement, “I can confidently say that I’m well equipped with information to further my studies next year.’’

Mr. Masombuka facilitated a question and answer session where students had to respond to questions posed regarding the overall information provided, VUT branded prizes were awarded to those who responded correctly. One of the questions posed was: Why are we using an online application system?, one student responded and said, “We are moving into a more technologically savvy world, so we need to keep up’’.

The event became quite interactive when the floor was given to the learners to pose relevant questions about the university, courses, and subject combinations. Alumni; class of ’93, teachers and students expressed their gratitude to the VUT team for their visit to the school. “This is the first institution to recognize us, and it was an eye-opener for the learners to know that the world requires their expertise,” said Mrs. Miya, a Sesotho educator.

The event was concluded by the VUT delegation handing out stationary received from Recruitment Department to the Grade 12 pupils. Members of the class of ’93 were each given VUT memorabilia items as a token of their stewardship to their alma mata.