For Kurtley Dane Randelhoff, health and financial setbacks did not stop him from achieving the first milestone towards his dreams.
Now studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT), his excellent matric results in the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams – including 89% for mathematics – has earned him a full ride scholarship to study this year.
A top achiever at the Engen Maths and Science School (EMSS), he earned an impressive seven distinctions, including 85% in English and 81% in physical sciences.
“I was told about EMSS in Grade 10 by my physics teacher. I joined because I liked the idea of having extra contact time with the subjects offered. Especially because the difficulty of work was much higher compared to Grade 10. So it seemed like something very helpful,” he says. “The teachers at EMSS were amazing. Their motivation and encouragement made me believe in my potential.”
Free supplementary education
For over 35 years, the EMSS programme has been empowering South African youth by offering free supplementary education in mathematics, science, and English. Currently, it supports 1 500 learners annually across 10 centres nationwide, equipping them with the skills to access STEM careers and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
Engen’s Corporate Social Investment Manager, Olwethu Mdabula, highlights the programme’s significance: “EMSS focuses on critical gateway subjects to bridge educational gaps and create opportunities in STEM.
“Kurtley’s story is also a testament to the transformative power of education,” adds Mdabula. “His achievement reflects the impact of EMSS in shaping South Africa’s future leaders.”
Engen will celebrate top-performing EMSS learners like Kurtley at awards ceremonies in February, reaffirming its commitment to empowering future leaders through education.
For the teen from West Cape Villas, his biggest challenge of his school career was learning how to juggle the demands.
Sacrifices
“Learning how to best manage my time so that I could get enough time spent on all my subjects while still fulfilling my duties as deputy head boy, being in the team in charge of the yearbook committee at school, my responsibilities at home and at church.
“Learning how to and effectively managing my time was a very big challenge that I had to face in my matric year. Another really big challenge I needed to overcome was the number of sacrifices I needed to make. I had to sacrifice things such as weekends, friend/family gatherings and holidays to sit with work to ensure that I feel confident and comfortable with content.
“Sacrifices were a challenge because they were never forced onto me, it was choices I had to consciously make because I wanted to achieve results that could make my parents proud and being awarded valedictorian. It has been a goal of mine since I started my high school career,” he says. Randelhoff is studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in computer science and business computing.
“I always loved technology and when I discovered programming and computer science it grabbed my attention. It immediately became a passion. I didn’t know much about it but I knew I wanted to know more about it,” he says.
“This bursary provides me with the opportunity to further my education and study at a tertiary institution. Without funding, I would not be able to study at any tertiary institution, so this bursary is very life changing for me.”
The 2024 EMSS matric class achieved an impressive 82% bachelor pass rate, marking a notable 5% increase from the previous year. This outstanding result underscores the transformative impact of EMSS in empowering underprivileged Grade 10–12 learners.
“Of the 415 matriculants enrolled in the programme in 2024, 131 deserving learners have been awarded full bursaries to pursue tertiary studies in engineering, accounting, computing, and other related fields. This illustrates Engen’s commitment to facilitating access to STEM higher education and unlocking opportunities for future leaders,” says Mdabula.
To the class of 2025, Randelhoff encourages everyone to give their best. “Sticking to the basics worked best for me. Reviewing work covered during the day, every day. Regular revision every day, on weekends, to ensure I retain understanding of content. Studying in a way that worked best for me was a big help as well,” he says.
“It was very important to me to figure out which methods of study worked best for me and when I found these, it made my studies so much more effective. The most important thing I would say to other students wondering what they need to do to be able to excel in their academics is to figure out how you learn and retain information. There is no one study method that works best because everybody is different. So find what works for you, and to do this you have to get outside your comfort zone and try new things.”
