Nyangani Doctor Tshabalala – IFASCO Academy
Impact Business Entrepreneur of the Year®
The Institute for Applied Sciences and Commerce, better known as IFASCO Academy, was founded in 2017 on the campus of the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth by Nyangani Doctor Tshabalala to give matriculants from previously disadvantaged backgrounds a second chance at a tertiary education.
“South African universities work according to an admission point score (APS) system,” explains Tshabalala. “Students need a certain number of points to be admitted to a specific course and those points are calculated based on your matric exam results. I founded IFASCO to help those learners who missed the APS they needed by five points or less.”
The initiative’s potential to make a significant difference became clear in its first year. Funded by NFSAS, the candidates attended classes Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:30 and enjoyed access to the Nelson Mandela University’s laboratory and computer facilities. More than 97% of that first cohort passed their exams and 78% gained admission to the university on the strength of their improved results.
Word of IFASCO’s success rate spread quickly and enrolments jumped to 768 in 2018. To manage the sharp increase in numbers, IFASCO satellite centres were formed in various townships around the Nelson Mandela Bay, including in Izinyoka and Uitenhage. Collectively, the centres delivered a pass rate of 83% for the academic year.
Over the years, IFASCO’s offering and reach expanded and today it is an independent organisation with its main campus in Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng and 32 teachers in its employ.
In addition to the Itukise full-time second-chance matric programme, IFASCO offers occupational training programmes that equip students with marketable skills in healthcare, agriculture and entrepreneurship; a mobile app to support learning in grades 10, 11 and 12 through learning notes and videos, weekly assessments and monthly assignments; and life skills development through camps with themes that include communication, financial literacy, leadership and problem solving.
Over the past seven years, IFASCO has helped hundreds of young people reconnect with education, develop new skills and secure meaningful employment. “We take pride in our holistic approach, which addresses academic gaps and builds the self-confidence and resilience young people need for lifelong success,” notes Tshabalala. “Many of our graduates have gone on to achieve higher education goals, start their own businesses or become leaders in their communities. What more could an educator ask for?”