She grew up in grinding poverty, losing both
her parents at a tender age but 14-year-old whizz-kid Maud Chifamba has defied
adversity and hardship to break academic records. Against all odds, the
extremely bright teenager has written history as last week she became the
youngest ever university student in Zimbabwe -- as well as the whole of
southern Africa, according to education officials.
Maud,
who was born on November 19, 1997, has just started her studies toward a
Bachelor of Accountancy Honors Degree at the University of Zimbabwe, the
country's oldest and most esteemed educational institution. Her intellectual
prowess and hard work have earned her a four-year scholarship of nearly $10,000
after she excelled at last year's Advanced Level exams. Now, one week into her
new life at the university, softly-spoken Maud already feels settled. "I'm
really enjoying it," she says with striking modesty. "It's better
than what I expected. I'm just enjoying all the lectures. But before deservedly
claiming a spot inside the university's vast lecture halls, finding herself
amongst much older students, Zimbabwe's wunderkind had to overcome tremendous
financial and social challenges.
Born
to a poor family in the Hunters resettlement community in Chegutu, central
Zimbabwe, Maud lost her father when she was just five years old. Her mother
also passed away last year. Her two brothers, who are general workers at a
farm, were unable to pay the fees required to keep her at formal school so Maud
started studying vigorously at home all by herself. Armed with determination,
Maud put all her efforts into studying, embarking on a disciplined reading
routine that lasted for several hours each day. "I studied very
hard," she remembers. "For the biggest part of the day and even into
the night," adds Maud.
Maud
says the death of her parents made her realize that she would have to take her
destiny into her own hands. "It really motivated me to work harder because
there was no one to take care of me except myself in the future," says
Maud. "That was ... a motivator for me to have something to do with my
life." Gifted with natural intelligence, Maud's promising future was
apparent from an early age. Her remarkable aptitude impressed her primary
school teachers who decided to move her up from Grade 3 to Grade 6. Aged nine,
she took her final primary school examinations, where she obtained top marks
for all of her subjects. Lacking financial support to undertake her high school
education, Maud studied on her own and completed her Ordinary Level in just two
years after skipping two forms.
Her
hard work paid off last December when she scored 12 points at her A-Level
exams, an astonishing feat that earned the 14-year-old girl a place at the
Harare-based University of Zimbabwe. "It's phenomenal, especially if you
consider that for her A-Levels she was not in formal school," says Gershem
Pasi, the commissioner general of the Zimbabwean Revenue Authority, the body
that's now sponsoring Maud's university education. "She was just reading
by herself at home and her brothers only managed to pay the examination
fee."
Munyaradzi
Madambi, dean of students at the University of Zimbabwe, describes Maud as a
"very warm and polite young woman," whose intelligence and maturity
shines through. "(She is) confident, efficacious and unique in the sense
that you don't normally expect this position among kids from underprivileged
backgrounds," he says. Madambi says the university is committed to helping
its wonder student develop into a balanced individual while fulfilling her
dreams. "We are making sure that
she grows up to be a well-moulded, mature adult but of course without really
suffocating her or putting her under any pressure," he says.
Zimbabwe
has an adult literacy rate of 92%, which is one of the highest in Africa,
according to UNICEF. Madambi says people in the country have an
"incredible and insatiable appetite for education." "Normally
those that come from underprivileged backgrounds, their desire is really to
work hard and excel and of course Maud is an exceptional case in terms of
intellectual prowess," he says. Maud is now on course to conquer even
greater heights, becoming Zimbabwe's youngest ever accountant when she
graduates in four years time. "My dream job is to become an
accountant," she says.
CNN News
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