Grade 10, Rena le Lona Centre
Chris was the poorest boy in Huron High School. He was a boy from Soweto. Some people called him Scholarship School Boy because his uniform was second-hand, but he was clean. He was also clever when it came to his schoolwork.
When people called him names, he would say, “Even though I am poor, the knowledge I have makes me rich.”
He would also say, “You can call me dumb but at least I’m wise.”
He was wise, indeed. He was doing his final year of schooling. My friends and I used to call him the Poor Clever Boy. Some teachers loved him because he was calm and clever.
After school, he would go to the library and study there. When the preliminary examinations started, he was more prepared than the other learners. The teachers knew that he was going to pass the examinations, but only black African teachers believed in him. White and Coloured teachers ated him because he came from a poor family, and he was black. He was not treated well in the examination room because when a White or Coloured teacher was the monitor, he or she would make fun of him.
Chris did not care because his mother always told him, “If you have faith, you will make it out of that situation well, and you will become strong enough to face the world.”
Even when the students made fun of him, he would always have faith. When the pre-exams were about to end, Chris worked hard to pass, and he passed with flying colours. His mother was proud. She even told her ‘Madam’ that Chris had passed.
Chris started studying for the final exams. When other children were galivanting in the street, he was preparing for the final exams. Mrs Mazibuko always told us that Chris was the strongest and cleverest learner she had ever taught. She would tell us how Chris’s knowledge would help him.
The holidays ended and it was school time again. All the Grade 12 learners were nervous about their final exam, but Chris was nevernervous. He was prepared. The exams started and everything went well for Chris. When the exams ended Chris continued tudying. He was so clever that when other learners needed help with their schoolwork, he would help them. The Grade 12 learners were worried about their results, including Chris, although he knew that his grades were good enough for him to pass. His friends hated the fact that he was better, but Chris never thought he was better than anyone.
On the day that the results were released, Chris was at home. He could hear the other learners rejoice because they had passed. Chris didn’t have any money to buy a newspaper, but his mother made a plan and bought the newspaper. When Chris looked at the newspaper, he was so scared. When he saw that his student number was there, he started crying — he could not believe it!
He got a Bachelor’s Pass with seven distinctions. The next day, he went to his school to fetch his statement. Everyone was so happy for Chris, even the principal. Chris thought that his dream of going to the University of the Witwatersrand would never happen. He had applied to the universities of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Cape Town. He had hoped that one day he would study at one of the universities and become a mechanical engineer. One day, he received a call from the University of the Witwatersrand, saying that he would be given a bursary to study.
He went to study there. When he first started attending university, he was so surprised that the students did not call him names and people were willing to be friends with him. He studied there for seven years.
He got his degree and got a decent job. He bought a nice house for his mother. He also opened a creative centre where children would go to get help with their schoolwork, and they would also make different artworks.
He went back to Huron High School and motivated us not to judge someone who comes from a poor home. That day, racism ended in Huron High School. Those who used to call him names wanted to be friends with him. Chris broke the cycle of poverty and made his mother happy.
That was the Poor Clever Boy.