Man Built Private School Helping Young Man Become First in Family to Matriculate

Photo Credit: SA INC / Regency Global

Cernell Moya became the first young man in his family to matriculate, all thanks to Sizwe Nxasana for building an accessible private school in the area.

Johannesburg, South Africa (09 August 2022) – Cernell Moya became the first young man in his mom’s family to matriculate from school; something he is incredibly proud of, and he says it was thanks to the opportunity to attend the Future Nation School in Fleurhof, Johannesburg.

This specialised private school gives children from underprivileged backgrounds, the chance to thrive in school. It was founded by Sizwe Nxasana after he retired from the corporate world and wanted to give back to the community.

Nxasana had hopes to uplift the Fleurhof area through education. The concept of the school was to give learners greater educational opportunities. Before he could get his dream off the ground, Nxasana needed to partner with an investor that could make his dream a reality.

Old Mutual has an Alternative Investments and Private Equity division that drives business growth and promotes social impact. Impact capital through Old Mutual Alternative Investments is supplied across a broad spectrum of non-profits and for-profit entities to create social and environmental impact. Nxasana’s school addresses these social and environmental elements as well as Old Mutual Alternative Investment’s goal of supporting relevant, futuristic, and technology-enabled education.

Now, where private schooling was once only found in affluent areas, it is also found in Fleurhof, just down the road from Soweto and the Johannesburg City Centre.

“It is about how we create hope in our country”

Cernell Moya is one of the students that was enrolled in the Fleurhof Future Nation School. He never believed he would be able to attend a private school nor that it would be so close to his home.

He explained that in his previous school, there were around 45 fellow learners per class, which always made it difficult to concentrate or to hear the teacher. Where he once needed to share desk space and stationary, he went on to be one of only 16 learners in his class.

For the first time, Moya was able to concentrate properly, hear every detail of every lesson clearly, and excel academically. This opportunity led him to become the first person in his family to matriculate from school. Now he can dream of his future, and it looks bright! Moya is committed to working with numbers, saying it’s in his blood. He is hoping to further his studies and have a career in actuarial science one day.

It shows, that it takes just one opportunity to change a life!