Thanyani Phaiphai, also known as "Tpie", recently obtained his PhD at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
Phaiphai, a resident at Dzanani (Biaba) township, said that his motivation to study and work hard came from his uneducated but always supportive parents, Mrs Maria Ntsongeni and Mr Joseph Ndavha Phaiphai.
"It has been a long and challenging journey for me, and never in a million years did I believe that, with my background, I could ever become a doctor," he said. "There is nothing special about me. In many ways I had failed more times than I had victories, but I had a vision of who I wanted to become and that is what kept me going."
After observing the stress that teachers undergo in implementing the curriculum and assessment policy statement (CAPS) in the classroom, and particularly in primary schools, he felt inspired to do some research on it.
"My intrinsic motivation was the words uttered by Deep Roy, when he said, 'Inspiration comes from within yourself. One must be positive. When you are positive, good things happen.'"
His thesis is titled: An analysis of teachers' experiences in Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement implementation in intermediate and senior phase primary schools: Vhembe District.
"The CAPS represents a shift from traditional teaching to a more interactive approach," he said. "My study focused on the interpretive paradigm. Findings showed that teachers haven't the necessary qualifications and skills to properly implement the CAPS, and aren't properly trained," he said.
One of Phaiphai's recommendations is that education specialists from the Department of Basic Education be appointed to assist and evaluate the curriculum with the intention to retrain teachers when needs are identified.
Phaiphai had to juggle his studies with other responsibilities, also playing roles in school sports as the general secretary in Vhembe District and as assistant secretary in Limpopo Province School Athletics (LIMSA). "It was not easy, as sports were played throughout the year, demanding my contributions. I had to balance everything and use my spare time fruitfully to do my investigative research," he said.
He ascribes this accomplishment of reaching his goal to all the years of hard work and dedication he put into his studies. "Hard work has a way of paying dividends. If you work hard, anything is possible," he beamed.