An alumnus of South Peninsula High School in Cape Town, Lindiwe Trout-Naidoo achieved 95% for Maths and 93% for Science and finished in joint second-place nationally amongst the Engen Maths and Science School (EMSS) matric Class of 2020. 

Despite missed school days and the added stress of lockdown, Lindiwe is delighted with her 93.3% overall average for matric and distinctions in all 8 subjects. 

The Retreat local plans to study Bachelor of Business Science (Actuarial Science) at the University of Cape Town this year and follow her dream of qualifying as an actuary. 

Reflecting on a tumultuous year, Lindiwe says online learning during lockdown and having all matric events cancelled was challenging.   

“The lockdown forced me to take full responsibility for my studies and cope during such a stressful time, which was one of the biggest hardships for me personally. However, it was a learning curve that has made me stronger.” 

Lindiwe says a personal challenge is overcoming her shyness and being more confident.  But she always puts 100% into everything she does.   

Her advice for the matric class of 2021 is to take full advantage of all the resources and help you have available and to believe in yourself.   

“Matric is tough, but with the right mindset, you can be even tougher.” 

Lindiwe says attending Engen Maths and Science School classes on Saturday’s from grade 10-12 helped her understand all the mathematics and physics concepts and provided good revision.  

“EMSS is an amazing opportunity that provides you with so much support for your studies and allows you to learn new things or understand concepts in different ways to how you are taught at school.  

“Furthermore, the English lessons taught me a lot about the language component of the subject, and the discussions in class were very engaging,” adds Lindiwe.  

The long-running Engen Maths and Science School programme offers supplementary Maths, Science and English tuition to underprivileged grade 10-12 learners.  

Saturday classes are held at nine locations across South Africa, including: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Cala and Johannesburg, and in KwaZulu-Natal at Fairvale High School, Ganges High School, Howard College, and Mangosuthu University of Technology. 

The 2020 Engen Maths and Science School matric class attained an impressive 84% overall pass rate of which 63% attained bachelor passes, versus the broader South African matric pass rate of 76.2%.  

Engen’s General Manager: Corporate Strategy and Communications, Khalid Latiff explains that the EMSS programme focuses specifically on providing extra tuition in “gateway” subjects such as mathematics and science, which are considered critical in addressing the country’s technical and engineering skills shortage as well as spurring economic growth and development.  

“The EMSS programme seeks to harness the potential of talented young people in difficult circumstances and to contribute to the pool of scarce skills in the country,” comments Latiff. 

“Starting off as Engen Saturday Schools over 30 years ago, Engen Maths and Science Schools are central to our skills development efforts and to help build the human capital of the future.  

“The programme has worked tirelessly to transform young lives and has, we believe, made a meaningful contribution to a more transformed and vibrant South African workforce.” 

Latiff says the company is incredibly proud of Lindiwe Trout-Naidoo and all the learners who completed matric in 2020, especially under a difficult set of circumstances. 

“Our ultimate reward is to help set them all up to pursue stimulating careers that won’t only benefit them personally, but also the broader macro economy of South Africa. 

Engen, congratulates Lindiwe and the Engen Maths and Science School class of 2020 and offers a well-deserved round of applause to all the learners and teachers. 

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