Al-Qalam 
By Nabeelah Shaikh
An Orient Islamic School Pupil who fought against all odds to complete his matric year says that he was able to do it through perseverance – despite losing hope at times.
While he may not have bagged multiple distinctions like other matriculants, Ashraf Mamela says his story is one of triumph in the darkest of times.
He passed his matric exams despite losing his father and grandfather within one month last year.
The grief of losing his loved ones had a devastating impact on his mental health and affected his academic performance, but with a push from his family and his school teachers, he was able to complete his matric year.
Ashraf, from uMlazi township, entered the Orient Islamic School as a grade eight pupil after receiving a scholarship with the help of the M.A. Motala Islamic Centre. The centre is a boarding facility for underprivileged Muslims in the community, situated in Wyebank near Pinetown.
Commenting on Ashraf’s accomplishments, Shabeer Nhleko of The M.A. Motala Islamic Centre said: “Ashraf ended up at Orient Islamic School because, at M.A. Motala, we recruit students through the centre. We partnered with Orient Islamic School, which gives us scholarships for deserving students every year. Ashraf came to us through the South Coast Madressah first, and we assisted him daily with transport from M.A. Motala to get to Orient Islamic School from grade eight to matric. We are very happy with his results and we are proud of his accomplishments. We have achieved what we have been trying to do in terms of assisting to uplift him in his life and his future care.”
Nhleko said they would continue to upskill Ashraf and will assist him with his entrance to university. The M.A. Motala Islamic Centre had eight matriculants under their care this year.
“Of these eight students, all of them passed, Alhamdulillah. Five of them all got bachelor passes, and we will be assisting them with their future careers with the help of several organisations that we work with like Sanzaf, Darul Ihsan, and the Memon community, to name a few,” he said
Ashraf said he was grateful for the opportunity that was afforded to him – and his time at the Orient Islamic School was an amazing journey.
Matric was a tough year for him, having to deal with two major losses.
“For the preparation of my matric year, we had already started matric work in Grade 11. And the year was tough. I lost my dad during the year. My marks used to be good, and then my marks just dropped after losing my father. It was difficult to cope, and I wasn’t doing well anymore because of the stress of losing my father,” said Ashraf.
Just a few weeks later, he had to deal with another tragedy.
“I had support from my family to get my marks up, and then a month after that, I lost my grandfather, so it was tough for me to pull through that situation. I had motivation from friends, and my mother was my biggest motivation, pushing me through the hardships. My teachers at school kept pushing me to do better because they knew my potential,” he said.
Head of Department at the Orient Islamic School, Jamilah Desai, said the school was incredibly proud of Ashraf’s achievement.
“We are definitely proud of Ashraf’s success in the 2023 NSC examinations. He is a humble student who has navigated through life’s challenges with grace and perseverance,” said Desai.
Ashraf, who got two B’s in the subjects Mathematical Literacy and Life Orientation, with a Bachelor’s Pass, plans to study Computer Science at Varsity College, pending his acceptance.
