Celebrating 30 years of excellence, the Malmesbury Community Learning Centre (CLC) made a difference in many students’ lives that today hold professional positions.
The learning centre assists adults who could not qualify for admission to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, school dropouts or those who never attended formal schooling by helping them receive their matric certificate. For more than 30 years between 80 and 100 students have applied annually.
Malmesbury CLC is part of the Western Cape Community Education and Training College, which falls under the Department of Higher Education.
The centre serves as the main one, with satellite centres in Porterville, Vredenburg, Atlantis and Piketberg.
According to Duane Jantjies, current acting centre manager, a need for learning opportunities was identified in 1992, after a survey was done by the founders, Rev Michael Phillips and his wife Diane, Reginald Kortjé and the late Frank Fry and Abie Witbooi.
The survey was focused on the needs of the communities of Malmesbury and Abbotsdale.
Following the survey the Abbotsdale Gemeenskapsorganisasie-projek (AGOP) was established in Abbotsdale in 1993 and later moved to Malmesbury, where it was known as Mavos (Malmesbury Volwasse Onderig Sentrum).
The main focus at that time was only to help adults with basic literacy skills such as reading and writing. The college grew over the years and started serving the whole Swartland Municipal area providing evening classes in Riebeek-West, Riebeek Kasteel, Abbotsdale, Kalbaskraal, Riverlands, Chatsworth, Darling and Malmesbury.
“We were privileged enough to have a matric ball as a gift from the centre rewarding us for our hard work,” she related. Berling said Mavos changed her life by enabling her to complete her matric. “I had good jobs before enrolling with Mavos,” she explained, “but because I did not have matric it was difficult to be appointed as a permanent worker.” She said since completing her matric Berling graduated from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Wellington Campus in 2016, when she completed a three-year course in Sports Management.
Charmaine Anthony attended Malmesbury CLC in 2010, but due to appendix surgery she could not obtain her matric that year.
She started home-based caring and wanted to pursue a career in nursing. In 2017 she returned to Malmesbury CLC, attending evening classes at Chatsworth Primary School. Pravin Geysenberg, former manager of the centre, told her there would be a possibility of daily classes.
“I attended Malmesbury CLC for that year and completed my Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) level 4, which was Grade 9. At that time I was married and had three children. I was the top student of that year.
“My daughter came home one day with pamphlets that showed where I could further my studies, and in 2018 I enrolled for three years at West Coast College.”
In 2019 Anthony obtained her National Certificate Vocational (NCV) in Management with six distinctions.
“In 2020 I completed my matric during the Covid pandemic, which was challenging for me, but I managed to pass with one distinction.
“I am currently completing my Diploma in Financial Management at West Coast College.
“Malmesbury CLC changed my life because they gave me an opportunity and made me driven to further my studies at other institutions. I would recommend Malmesbury CLC to anyone who wishes to complete their matric and further their tertiary studies.”
Recalling her best memory during her time at the institution, she says it was at a prize giving ceremony that she received a trophy for each subject.
Future applicants can apply at Malmesbury CLC, 5 Keerom Street from 09:00 to 15:00 (Mondays to Fridays).
