A young man from a small village in the Eastern Cape is simplifying mathematics in his study guide.Awonke Nqayiya who was raised in Cetane, is dedicating his time to tutoring mathematics to high school pupils, with the aim of introducing them to a range of opportunities.
He completed his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and mathematical statistics in 2018 at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth and he is now studying towards his master’s degree, majoring in mathematical statistics.
“During university holidays I tutor Maths at schools around my village. It does not end there, we also have career exhibitions so that we can share information with them on different courses that they can choose. We don’t want the learners to find themselves doing a course that is not aligned to their passion,” he said.
Nqayiya said through these tutoring lessons, he also wanted to assist those pupils who did not have Maths teachers at their schools. He says the educational programmes seek to improve the performance of high school pupils.
“When I was in grade 10 we did not have a physical science and mathematics teacher. As a result, we struggled with these two subjects. A lot of our time was spent in protesting and this could have easily destroyed our future,” said Ngayiya.
“I was, however, lucky to change schools and get excellent teachers who made mathematics exciting for me. They taught me the foundation and the fun of doing mathematics and I have never looked back,” he added.
The mathematician has also published a 326-page mathematical study guide for grade 11 and 12 pupils.The aim of the study guide is to develop the understanding of pupils in four chapters, namely statistics, analytical geometry, trigonometry and Euclidean geometry.
He was assisted by his former high school Maths teacher, former university lecturer and his two Maths buddies in the proofreading process and he was guided by the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy (CAPS) guidelines together with previous question papers to ensure that the study guide contains content that is relevant to high school pupils in grades 11 and 12.
“A lot of the pupils I helped struggled with mathematics, especially paper 2, which they said was difficult. I then decided to develop the study guide because I wanted to unlock their potential and develop their interest in this subject. In my view, it is very unlikely for a learner to go through this study guide and remain the same,” said Nqayiya.
To access the study guide, follow Mathematics with Nqayiya on Facebook or dial 0734266012
