Ubizo (The calling)

“Utitshala ohamba emthunzini wetempile phakathi kwabalandeli bakhe, akaniki okobulumko bakhe, koko okokholo lwakhe nokothando lwakhe.” La ngamazwi wombhali obekekileyo, uKhalil Gibran kwincwadi yakhe ethi Umprofethi. La mazwi abalulekile xa sicinga ngabantu abaye bazixhamla bazibandakanya kumsebenzi ojongene nemfundo yabantwana nolutsha beli: ingakumbi ootitshala bethu. Xa sithetha ngootitshala apha eMzantsi sinento yokubagalela ngamanzi ngakumbi xa sijonge iziphumo zebanga lokuqgibela okanye xa sixelelwa ngoqhankqalazo lootitshala ngenxa yokufuna ukurhola ngcono. Ezi ziganeko zithi ootitshala bethu abazimiselanga kwimfundo yabantwana bethu. Abanye bade bathi ixesha lokuba ootitshala bazidle ngomsebenzi wabo ladlula.

Kudala kwakuthiwa xa ubani ezinikezela kumsebenzi othile, ade abalasele, abonakalise ubuchule kumsebenzi othile kuthiwa ubiziwe. Ubizo olu yinto echaphazela abantu abathile: ingakumbi oogqirha (namagqirha), umfundisi wenkonzo njalo njalo. Oku kuthi asinguye uwonke wonke obiziweyo. Liqaqobana la bantu abazinikezelayo kumsebenzi wokukhonza ilizwe. Side sithi abantu ababiziweyo ngabantu abanesiphiwo lokuzinikezela kumsebenzi odelekileyo. Ndiye ndizibuze umbuzo: xa sisithi abantu abathile babiziwe, babizwe ngubani? Lo mbuzo uzama ukuphicotha lo mba wobizo kuba xa ubani esabela ubizo uyazincama yaye uzincamela inkolelo yokubaluleka komsebenzi abizelwe wona.

Ndiye ndafunda ngomzekelo omhle wotishala ozinikezeleyo, wasabela ubizo lokufundisa ulutsha. uMama Shape Msiza utitsha isiNgesi ePonelopele Oracle Secondary School, eEbony Park eMidrand. Ngonyaka ka2012 waye wavuzwa ngewonga eliphakamisa ootishala kudidi lwamawonga. Yena uMam’Msiza wafumana kwiTop Gauteng Teachers Awards kwingqinqi Ekurhuleni. Eliwonga walifumana ngenxa yeziphumo zabantwana bakhe ngexesha eyintloko yesebe lesiNgesi kwisikolo sakhe. Abafundi bakhe baphumelela emagqabini kwizifundo zesiNgesi. Kudliwano-ndlebe kunye neBBC uncokola ngesakhono sakhe nobuchule abusebenzisayo xa etitsha. Uthi uba ngumzali kubafundi bakhe ukuze bangamoyiki yaye akwazi ukuthetha nabo ngazo zonke izinto ezibalulekileyo, hayi ezesikolo kuphela. Uthando nenkathalo alubonakalisayo kubafundi bakhe lwenza angahoyi into ezinje ngemali ayirholayo yaye oku ukucacisa ngelithi : “most cases teachers are not seen as a people who can be rich or who can be rich because the salary is not good. You never have money as a teacher! So we need to see it as a calling. You need to compromise.” Oku kuthi uxanduva azithathele wona uMam’Msiza libonakalisa ukuba indlovu ayisindwa ngomboko wayo.

Umsebenzi kaMam’Msiza awuphelelanga kwigumbi lokufundisa kuba ungumququzeleli kwezinye iinkonzo zesikolo kwakunye nokuncedisana nabafundi abalungiselela ukuphangela okanye abazimisele ukuqhubekeka nemfundo yabo emva komatriki. Nangona ewuthathela phezulu ubizo lwakhe, uMam’Msiza uyavuma ukuba ikhona imiceli-mngeni kulo msebenzi wakhe ingakumbi isimilo sabantwana besikolo. Nangona eligqala (uneminyaka eliyishumi amabini engutitshala), abafundi bakhe banamaxesha lokuphuma izithuba, intlonipho bayishiye ngaapha kwemida yesikolo. Abanye badibana nobunzima basebenzise iziyobisi yaye oku, kuchaphazela imfundo yabo. Iintombi zona ziye ziroxe esikolweni ngenxa yokukhulelwa. Abanye abafundi ziinkedama. Oku kuthi uMam’Msiza uthwele umthwalo wokufundisa abantwana abanemithwalo yabo.

Xa siqwalasela ibali likaMam’Msiza kumele sikhumbule ubume bezemfundo zalapha eMzantsi.Unintsi bootitshala banomsebenzi onzima wokufundisa unintsi lwabantwana nangona urhulumente engabaxhasi ngeencwadi zokufunda ezifanelekileyo (umzekelo eMpuma Koloni naseLimpopo).Oku kuthi umsebenzi wootitshala abaninzi unobunzima obungathethekiyo, kodwa obu bunzima buchaphazela abantu ababiziweyo, yaye basabela.

Ndibanovalo eleke ndicinga ngobizo; ibali likaMam’Msiza kwakunye nabo bonke ootitshala abazibandakanya kulomsebenzi ngenxa yobizo. Nje ngotitshala osandokungena kweliqela lababiziweyo, ndiye ndizithandabuze: ingaba ndingutitshala ofanelekileyo na xa ndizibona nje ngongabizwanga? Ingaba uthini umahluko phakathi kotitshala obiziweyo nongabizwanga? Ndinomrhano: le nto yobizo yeyabantu abathile. Ootitshala abafundisa kwimeko ezimaxongo nezibonakalisa ubunzima balomsebenzi; ngabo ababiziweyo. Kodwa, singathini ngootitshala abafundisa kwizikolo eziphucukileyo? Yintoni ebangela ukuba ootitshala abaninzi banganikezeli xa bedibana nobunzima ezikolweni zabo? Ingaba lubizo?

A similar article written in English can be found here:

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/athambilemasola/2014/04/22/the-calling/