A Westville Boys’ High pupil who was placed second in the province and third in the country after obtaining eight distinctions in the 2023 matric exams, has allegedly been victimised on the grounds of “race” with a bursary meant for him being given to another matriculant.
Jaskaran Moopanar Rajaruthnam was honoured for his outstanding results at a national event by the Department of Basic Education in Randburg last Thursday and at the Durban ICC last Friday, hosted by KZN Education MEC, Mbali Frazer.
But Jaskaran’s celebrations were dampened at the Durban prize-giving ceremony.
A video recording from the ceremony shows the MC announcing that the top two pupils in the province - Khumalo Olwethu Kuhlekonke (1st) and Jaskaran (2nd) would receive bursaries from Sasol.
The MC said in the video: “We do need to indicate that each learner here will get R10 000 from Sasol (referring to the top 10 pupils). We also need to indicate that there are two candidates that will get a bursary from Sasol, which is number one and number two, but we also need to indicate that number one will get R50 000 from NLS Group.”
The announcement was made moments before the top 10 pupils were called on the stage to collect their awards.
Things came to a head when Jaskaran was allegedly sidelined and the Sasol bursary was given to the pupil who had come third in KZN.
His father, Dr Diren Rajaruthnam, said the announcement was made during the awards ceremony at the ICC, just before the top 10 pupils were announced, that the first and second high achievers would receive bursaries from Sasol.
However, when he accompanied his son to claim the incentive, they were told that the Department of Education had awarded the incentive to the third highest achiever, Shange Uphile, from Sidelile High School (Umlazi District).
He said they were not offered any explanation.
“It is disgusting when children are victimised based on their race. This also gives an insight into the manipulation behind the scenes. My son was disappointed that he was turned away when he went to collect his incentive as he had performed exceptionally and was deserving of the bursary.
“This is not about money or material gain. It is about the principle behind it. Some children have to work so much harder but are still side-lined, even though they prove themselves. Children get depressed due to a system that is skewed against them and that is a reality which has come to the fore, during this incident,” said Dr Rajaruthnam.
Sasol’s spokesperson, Nomia Machebe, confirmed that they were a part of last Friday’s prize giving event at the ICC.
“However, all incentives were managed by the Department of Education, and therefore Sasol cannot comment on the allocation of those incentives. As a corporate citizen, all our interventions in education are driven by a need to see a meaningful change in society preparing communities for a sustainable future,” Machebe said.
KZN Department of Education spokesperson, Muzi Mahlambi, confirmed that the department had received incentives from Sasol to be given to pupils. He declined to answer questions about Jaskaran not being getting the bursary.
“We request the parent/s to come to our offices for clarity on this matter,” he said.
Jaskaran said his support system, which comprised family, teachers and friends, had helped him overcome challenges and soar to academic heights.
“I worked hard from day one but I realised that you need to find some balance at times. I was overwhelmed and shocked at the fact that I was invited to the ceremony hosted by the Department of Basic Education. After the news finally sunk in, I felt proud that I was able to represent my school and family,” he said.
The avid violinist, who is a member of the KZN Youth Orchestra and a squash player, added: “I was able to work a little bit every day and stay on top of my studies. My advice to this year’s matric pupils is that they must do things that make them happy. Make memories in your final (matric) year. Lead a balanced lifestyle so that you don't suffer from burnout.”
Jaskaran will study medicine at the University of Cape Town this year.
Dr Rajaruthnam said the motivation to excel came from Jaskaran years before the final Grade 12 examination.
“As you can imagine, this is an exceptionally proud moment in any parents' lives, when their child accomplishes these outstanding results. He balanced his extracurricular activities with his academic studies, and always focused on consistently producing the highest quality responses to all his school tasks.”
His mum, Ramini, said: “As parents and a community, we need to know that our children are under a lot of pressure to succeed. They compete among themselves for limited placements at tertiary centres, based on our population demographics. Therefore, as parents we need to foster a nurturing stress free environment, supporting our children with the assistance that is required throughout their matric year.”
Principal of Westville Boys HIgh School, Graham Steele, said Jaskaran was an extremely bright young man who knew what he wanted to achieve, set his goals and put in the hard work.
“To achieve at this level you need a certain amount of academic talent, with the correct attitude and consistent hard work,” he added.