Three Cape Town teenagers were named top achievers at the Engen Maths and Science School (EMSS) programme.
The ceremony was hosted at Belgravia Secondary School.
The top achiever in the Western Cape and taking fourth place nationally was Athlone local Moebeen Yasser Hussein Seadon, an alumnus of Livingstone High School. His hard work resulted in seven distinctions, including 84% for English, 92% for maths and 91% for science. He is studying electrical and computer engineering at UCT this year.
The second-best performer in the province was Grassy Park resident and Livingstone High School alumnus Adam Mohamed. Adam achieved a perfect score with seven distinctions, and his 93% for maths and 83% for science secured him a place to study actuarial science at UCT.
Third place in the province was Athlone local Taufeeq Rahbeeni, who achieved 88% for maths and 85% for science. An alumnus of Livingstone High, Taufeeq is studying mechanical engineering at UCT this year.
The Engen Maths and Science Schools have run for more than 30 years and offer underprivileged Grade 10 to 12 learners free supplementary maths, science and English tuition on Saturdays at 10 locations across South Africa.
These include Cape Town (classes are held at Belgravia and Manzombotho High), Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth, at Uitenhage Secondary School), East London (Buffalo City College), Cala and Johannesburg, and in KwaZulu-Natal, where classes sit at Fairvale High School, Ganges High School, Howard College and Mangosuthu University of Technology.
Engen’s manager of transformation and stakeholder engagement, Dr James Nyawera, said that the EMSS programme focuses on providing extra tuition in “gateway” subjects such as maths and science, which are considered critical in addressing the country’s technical and engineering skills shortage as well as spurring economic growth and development.
"While Engen is extremely proud of all the 2021 matriculants, I must make special mention of, and commend, the incredible results attained by our top three matric achievers in attending our Cape Town EMSS Centres," he said.
Founded 34 years ago as Engen Saturday Schools, EMSS remains central to Engen’s efforts to contribute to the growth and transformation of South Africa.
Nyawera said the programme has worked tirelessly to help transform young, underprivileged people’s lives with a focus on creating a diverse and vibrant workforce.
He said that Engen was also incredibly proud of the EMSS learners who completed matric in 2021 despite extremely trying circumstances.
"Well done to all for showing true grit and determination! It is Engen’s ultimate reward to help set talented people up to pursue stimulating careers that won’t only benefit them personally, but also their families and the broader economy of South Africa. Engen is committed to building tomorrow’s leaders, and if we want to ensure that the youth of tomorrow are prepared for a rapidly changing world, we need to ensure that they have the right mix of skills for them to reach their full potential," Nyawera said.
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