One such a student is Jacob Seboko from Sebokeng. At 79 years of age, he proudly sports his purple first-year t-shirt and has lovingly been dubbed “Madala Jacob” by his fellow first-year friends.
Jacob – who is registered for several subjects – hope to qualify for entrance to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme in 2020. His ultimate goal is to be a professional educator.
“You are never too old to learn something new,” says Jacob. “And not just the ordinary, but something big, something that could change how you see and understand the world.
“I have always had the desire to teach and if I am still able, I would love to be a teacher. I have a head for figures and have a knack for accounting and economics, both subjects that are in great need of qualified teachers.”
Back at varsity after 23 years
This is however not his first experience in higher education or at the university. He completed a bachelor’s degree in public administration in 1996 at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education’s Vanderbijlpark Campus. This was followed-up with a diploma in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) at Unisa.
After his wife passed away in 2009, Jacob – who practiced as an ABET educator – increasingly felt the need fill the hours of loneliness by keeping mentally fit.
“I have so much time on my hands and by the grace of God, I am still blessed with good health,” explains Jacob. He adds that education is a way for him to keep busy and at the same time accomplish a lifelong dream.
Asked what his fellow first-year students think of his return to the books, he says: “I would like to think that I motivate them to take their education serious. There are those who say that my time has passed, but I believe in perseverance. And they will come to see: education changes a person’s being. It humbles you, but also lifts you up. Education is a blessing.”
Jacob, who hails from Heilbron “in the old Transvaal”, completed his schooling in 1966.
Jacob Seboko (right) with Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor, and Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for operations on the campus in Vanderbijlpark.
