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Meet SAASTA's new MD - Dr Jabu Nukeri
getSETgo caught up with Dr Nukeri and asked him about his vision for SAASTA, his passion for science advancement and the people who inspire him. As the new MD, what is your vision for SAASTA? When did you join SAASTA? And what did you do before then? I subsequently moved on to become the head of the school's science department and then a science lecturer at a college of education in Limpopo. There I worked closely with education officials at the district and regional level in driving science advancement. In 2002 I joined the national Department of Education in Pretoria as an education specialist in science and technology. I worked there until the end of February 2005 when I joined SAASTA. What would you describe as the highlights of your previous position at SAASTA? Another highlight is that I interacted with the private sector and managed to raise about R15 million in a period of five years to expand existing projects and to fund new initiatives. I was also able to increase our collaboration with the Department of Basic Education as well as with other science centres and science organisations. Where did you grow up? My mother passed away in 2008 but my father still lives in the village. During my holidays I visit my father, my relatives and my friends. It is always an emotional experience for me go back to the place where I grew up. I see myself as a small boy in the places that I used to frequent - looking after my grandmother's goats and cattle, playing soccer on a dusty soccer field, swimming in the river regardless of crocodiles, playing with the other children in the dusty streets. Even though the village now has running water and electricity, life there is still slow, people are relaxed ... it is a different world. These days, as an MD of an organisation in Pretoria I am hailed by the villagers as a man who has achieved success, who has done his family, friends and community proud. What did you study after school? Where? Why did you choose that? Then something drastic happened, for which I will always be thankful to my father. Towards the end of the year he told me that he wanted me to go back to school. I was appalled - I liked living in Pretoria and I was earning my own money, but my father was adamant. He wanted me to have a profession and offered to pay for my studies. Reluctantly I resigned. I studied at the Tivumbeni College of Education in Tzaneen to become a science educator. It was only natural for me to return to Mtititi village to teach at the school where I had been a learner. I continued my studies part-time through Unisa, first obtaining a BA degree, then an Honours, then a Masters and finally my D.Ed. in 2000. My father and mother were so proud. When I completed my BA they were so excited they wanted to organise a party for me, but I declined. The same happened after I completed the other degrees, but ultimately, after completing my D.Ed. I decided to have a party just to please them. Six months after that my mother passed away. The day at the party was the last time I saw her so excited and happy. What do you do in your spare time? What is your favourite dish? What excites you most about life? It is such a rewarding experience to see that what you are doing is making a difference in the lives of our people. That is why I go the extra mile; why I take SAASTA's activities deep into rural areas - there where the real need is. Going there is definitely no picnic, you often have to drive long distances just to get there, but once I'm there with the learners, the educators and the community and see their happy faces, I gratefully acknowledge that the organisation that I am working for is making a difference by touching lives. Do you have a role model? These are all people who display wisdom, integrity and honesty in all their dealings, who look for the common good, and not for personal gain. |
