Inspirational student graduates cum laude
ENGLISH is his third language and he would walk around with a dictionary in his backpack to assist him with his English communication skills, after enrolling for a national diploma in Electrical Engineering at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).
While Lingala, a language spoken throughout the north western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is his home language, he had been taught in French his entire life and now had to adjust to receiving higher education in a language he struggled to communicate in.
Despite this challenge, however, Matshitshi Kalombo, graduated cum laude last week for his National Diploma in Electrical Engineering at the DUT Steve Biko Campus.
Kalombo, from the DRC, arrived in South Africa in 2009 and in 2010 began his studies at DUT.
“English is my third language. The official language of learning in the DRC is French and that’s the language that I speak better, although my home language is Lingala,” Kalombo said.
“When I first enrolled at DUT, my English level rated five out of 10. During a test, I had to think in my home language and translate the message to answer back to English.”
To overcome his challenge, Kalombo sought the assistance of his lecturers a s well as from the university’s International Education and Partnerships Di rectorate which, among others, provides support to the university’s interna tional students.
“I also did some self-studying to improve my communication skills. Now I’ve reached a point where I can think in English and I don’t have to translate in my head anymore. It (English) flows naturally and people (who are fluent in English) compliment me a lot. I would say my English can now be rated eight out of 10,” he said.
Working hard and attending his lectures religiously is another reason Kalom bo did well. “I was present in classes, not just attending, but was present, making sure I understood the lecture. That way, all I had to do at home was practise,” Kalombo said.
He spoke about some of the common mistakes students make which often lead to failure. Top among these mistakes is studying right before the test and cramming notes.
“A lot of students just take notes and study before the test. This is like having a lecture on the eve the test with yourself as a lecturer. Students end up cramming information and forget it (information) as soon as the test is over. They do the same thing at exam time but with a much bigger syllabus. This is detrimental because when you’re writing three subjects in a week, you’ll fail one, or two or all,” he said.
Kalombo recently completed his in-service training at PFK Electronics. He hopes to do his BTech degree next year. For him, graduating is a dream come true and a special honour because his mother, a dietician, and brother were there to witness hisadmirable achievement.
“There is a time for everything. While you’re at school, your time must be dedicated to your studies,” he said.
