SHEILA MHLONGO
INhloko yoMkhakha Wezifo Zegazi (Haematology) eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali (UKZN) esebenza eSibhedlela iNkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital kanye naseVictoria Mxenge Hospital ngaphansi kweKwaZulu-Natal Academic Complex, uDkt Nadine Rapiti, uhlonishwe ngomklomelo woThisha Ovelele (Distinguished Teachers’ Award) emcimbini wokwethweswa iziqu wasekwindla walo nyaka.
Echaza ukuthola kwakhe lo mklomelo, uthe: “Kuyinhlonipho enkulu ukulandela ezinyathelweni zothisha abahloniphekile base-UKZN, abangifundisa nami ngesikhathi ngisengumfundi weziqu zokuqala kanye noweziqu eziphakeme eSikoleni Sezokwelapha sale Nyuvesi.”
URapiti uthe uhambo lwakhe lwezemfundo lwagqugquzelwa nguyise. “Wangifundisa ukuthi ulwazi lungamandla, kodwa ubuntu buqala ngokwabelana ngolwazi.
“Ubaba wayedayisa izithelo nemifino endaweni yaseGlenwood ngesikhathi efundisa izingane zakhe ezine nabanye abaningi izinkondlo, ipolitiki nezibalo. Wasikhombisa ukuthi ukufunda kungenzeka noma kuphi uma umuntu evuleleke ekufundeni, futhi ukuziqhenya kwakhe okukhulu kwakungekhona ukuthi wafundisa mina nezingane zakwethu eSikoleni Sezokwelapha kuphela, kodwa ukuthi izingane zakhe zaba ngabafundisi base-UKZN abakwazi ukwabelana ngolwazi,” engeza.
Uthe umgogodla womsebenzi wakhe usekelwe “ekwakheni ulwazi emphakathini nasekubeni nobuntu”, kanti ukuqondisa abafundi kudlala indima enkulu. URapiti uthe indlela yakhe yokufundisa ishintshe ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ukuze ihambisane nezidingo zabafundi kanye nezinguquko emkhakheni wezempilo.
“Uma ufundisa ngendlela umfundi ayiqondayo, imfundo iyaphuma ezincwadini, emaphephabhukwini nasezincwadini zokufunda ibe isipiliyoni umuntu angasoze asikhohlwa,” kusho yena.
Indlela yakhe yokufundisa igxile “ekuqqondeni ukuthi ulwazi lwabafundi luthinta indlela abafunda ngayo”, kanti ubeka kakhulu ekwenzeni ukufunda kube seduze nezimpilo zabafundi. “Ngizibophezele ekwakheni indawo ekhuthaza umfundi, lapho umfundi ekhululekile khona ukubuza nokuphendula ngaphandle kokwesaba ukwahlulelwa – lena yindlela yami enkulu yokufundisa,” kusho yena.
Ekhuluma ngokuthi yini eyenza uthisha avelele, uRapiti ugcizelele ukuthi: “Ukulalela abafundi nokuguqula indlela yokufundisa ukuze ihambisane nomfundi ngamunye kubalulekile.” Uthe ukufundisa okuphumelelayo kudinga ngaphezu kolwazi lwezifundo kuphela, kodwa kudinga uzwelo, ikhono lokuzivumelanisa nezimo kanye nokuzinikela empumelelweni yabafundi.
Ucwaningo lwakhe emkhakheni wezifo zegazi luqhubeka nokubhekana nezindaba ezibalulekile ezifana nezifo zegazi ezihlobene ne-HIV, kanti lolu cwaningo lusiza nasekwelapheni iziguli, okuqinisa ubudlelwano phakathi kokufundisa, ucwaningo kanye nomthelela emphakathini.
Naphezu kwemisebenzi eminingi yezemfundo, uRapiti uthi ugqugquzelwa kakhulu ukubona abafundi bakhe bethuthuka, beba ngabafundisi, belwela amalungelo eziguli futhi bethola izwi labo. “Ukuhamba lolu hambo nabafundi kuyinto engiyithanda kakhulu futhi enomvuzo omkhulu. Ngiyethemba abafundi baphuma e-UKZN bengaphethe iziqu kuphela kodwa benamaphimbo abuza imibuzo nezinhliziyo ezinakekelayo.”
KuRapiti, ukuqokwa njengothisha ovelele kuwukuhlonishwa ngomsebenzi awuthandayo, umsebenzi ovame ukuhambisana nezinselelo nobusuku obude bokusebenza. “Lona ngumklomelo wabantu bonke abafundisayo, futhi ngiyabonga i-UKZN ngokungihlonipha ngalendlela,” kusho yena.
URapiti uthe uhambo lwakhe lwezemfundo lwaqala ngabazali bakhe bobabili, ababegcizelela ukubaluleka kwemfundo ngokufunda ebusuku ngemuva kokuba sebezingabazali. “Umama wayefundisa izifundo zamasiko esikoleni sendawo ngesikhathi esifanayo engumama osebenza kanzima. Ngakho noma sakhula singenamali eningi, sakhuliswa kahle ngenxa yalezi zimiso zomndeni.”
Ngemuva kokufunda ubudokotela e-UKZN kanye nokuqeqeshwa kwezifo zegazi, wasebenza njengodokotela onguchwepheshe wezifo zegazi e-United Kingdom iminyaka embalwa, kodwa wabuyela e-UKZN ngo-2005 ngesicelo senhloko yomnyango ngaleso sikhathi, okwamholela emsebenzini ovelele wokufundisa nokuqondisa abafundi.
Ekhuluma ngendima ebanzi yabafundisi, wagcizelela ukubaluleka kokungabi nolwazi kuphela kodwa nokwazi ukwabelana ngalo. Uthe noma ubuchwepheshe buyafundwa, ukufundisa kuyinhlanganisela yokufunda nokuba nesiphiwo semvelo, ekhuthaza nabanye osolwazi ukuthi baqhubeke nokuthuthukisa indlela abafundisa ngayo kanye nolwazi lwabo.
Ebheka ikusasa, uRapiti ubona intuthuko kwezokwelapha okuqondene nesiguli ngasinye kanye nesayensi yamangqamuzana, ngenkathi eqhubeka nokugqugquzela abafundi ngokuthanda kwakhe ukuhlanganisa umsebenzi wezokuhlola emalabhorethri nokunakekelwa kweziguli.
URapiti ugcizelele ukubaluleka kokuba nesisekelo esiqinile kwizibalo nesayensi ezikoleni, ekhuthaza abafundi nothisha ukuthi basize abafundi ekukhetheni izifundo futhi babavulele amathuba okubona umsebenzi wangempela ngokubalandela noma ngokubafundisa.
Ubuye wakhuluma ngezinguquko emkhakheni wesayensi yezempilo, ephawula ngentuthuko efana nobuhlakani bokwenziwa (Artificial Intelligence), ezokwelapha eziqondene nesiguli kanye nesayensi yamangqamuzana, okuqhubeka nokuguqula ukufundisa, ucwaningo kanye nokusebenza.
Okubalulekile, uRapiti uphikise imibono evamile ngabantu abasebenza kwezemfundo ephakeme, ethi: “Osomfundaze abenzi umsebenzi owodwa kuphela, kodwa bagqoka izigqoko zokuba ngabaphathi, abacwaningi, abaqondisi babafundi futhi kwesinye isikhathi babe ‘ngabazali’.” Ugcizelele ukuthi ukufundisa okunomthelela kuwubuciko kanye nesifundo ngokwaso.
Ngaphandle kwempumelelo yakhe emsebenzini, uRapiti ubuye wakhuluma ngohambo lwakhe lomuntu siqu, ekhumbula ukuthi wayehlale efisa ukuba ngumbhali, ehleka ethi wayengakaze acabange ukuthi lokhu kuzoholela ekubhaleni amaphepha ocwaningo.
Uthe isikhathi sakhe e-UKZN sigcwele izikhathi ezingasoze zalibaleka, okubalwa ukufundiswa nguSolwazi YK Seedat, ukudlala umdlalo we-‘thunee’ noyise wezingane zakhe ekhefi laseSikoleni Sezokwelapha, ukusebenza nezingane zakwabo ezintathu ngaphansi kweKwaZulu-Natal Academic Complex, odokotela abasebasha abazimisele ukusebenza naye mahhala ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukunakekelwa kweziguli, ukubuyisela ukuqinisekiswa kohlelo lokuqeqesha lwezifo zegazi e-UKZN, kanye nobungani asebenobubo amashumi eminyaka – konke lokhu kugcizelela indima yeNyuvesi ekwakheni hhayi imisebenzi kuphela kodwa nezimpilo zabantu.
Ezweni elibhekene nezinselelo ezinzima zenhlalo nomnotho, uRapiti unomyalezo oqinile entsheni: “Siphila ezweni eligcwele amathuba. Abafundi banamuhla bayilelo themba. Ngakho-ke sebenzisanani ngokugcwele kule nkathi ngaphandle kokwahlulela, nihlanganise amandla enu ahlukene ukuze nigcwalise leso sithembiso!”
Njengoba i-UKZN igubha impumelelo kaRapiti, indaba yakhe iyisibonelo samandla aguqula impilo semfundo kanye nendima ebalulekile yothisha abazinikela emsebenzini wokwakha ikusasa elinempilo nelinobulungiswa eNingizimu Afrika.
Umthwebuli wezithombe: Sethu Dlamini
Incazelo yesithombe: UDkt Nadine Rapiti, othole umklomelo woThisha Ovelele.
