WSU’S SINOXOLO JALI STARTS BUSINESS WITH NSFAS ALLOWANCE, EMPOWERS STUDENTS

While many may think it takes a loan from the bank to start a business, enterprising WSU student Sinoxolo Jali used his limited NSFAS allowance to establish a lucrative tutoring and publishing company now supporting thousands of tertiary students countrywide.

His innovative funding model and resilient business mind earned Jali a hero’s reception at Walter Sisulu University’s Institutional Research & Innovation Day at the Mthatha Health Resource Centre recently.

The stunning details of his business journey emerged when the Economics Honours student presented under the theme Empowering Minds, Building Futures at the event-much to the delight of the admiring audience.

The theme mirrors both Jali’s academic journey and entrepreneurial mission.

A confident and resourceful Jali, who is also an author, stunned the audience during a question-and-answer session when he revealed how he used his NSFAS allowance to start the business.

It was the proudest moment for Jali and the Faculty of Economics and Financial Sciences under which he pursues his honours.

“The mission of the company is to close the academic gap and empower young minds through tailored tutoring, mentorship and offering publication services,” he said, and explained that Sino Horizon’s work targeted the academic underperformance crisis in communities such as Mthatha, particularly in subjects like Economics, Accounting and Mathematics.

He further drew from the findings of a research by the Council on Higher Education highlighting the urgency of the problem.

Jali said: “The cohort of 2006 doing the three-year degree had a 24% dropout rate, and that dropout was idue to the lack of academic confidence, and our company emerged as a direct response — personalised, accessible and community-rooted.”

From its modest beginnings, Sino Horizon has expanded into a hybrid tutoring model with Jali revealing that his business did not only service WSU students, but supported external students from universities such as CPUT, Fort Hare, as well as accounting students from UNISA doing accounting-related jobs for Attorneys.

 “I have never had any student that said they failed the modules we’ve tutored, others got distinctions, and others they got 70%. We are offering academic empowerment with measurable success,” Jali said.

His achievements extend beyond tutoring.

Jali has published his own books — Chain of Empowerment and Confessions of a Tired Orphan — and edited works by WSU students and other emerging authors.

“I’m working with international and award-winning editors,” he noted.

He also revealed that he and his peers have written a community-rooted isiXhosa novel titled “Uloyiko Lwam”.

Jali also revealed that WSU graduates get an opportunity to make an income by doing work for him in his business.

“I pay my employees, I also pay for their mobile data and sometimes transportation from and to where the student is at,” he explained.

The audience was deeply moved, with many commenting that it was such a beautiful story to talk about.

WSU lecturer and researcher Dr Anthony Masha offered a broader reflection on what Jali represents for the institution.

“When Professor Songca said she was going to make WSU a university of choice, lots of sceptical people laughed,” he said.

“But today people who got good B’s in matric choose us first. You’ve done very well, take advantage of anything available,” he added.

From the University of Fort Hare, Dr Sithenkosi Lungisa echoed the significance of the students’ work.

“The presentations have been encouraging, more especially from students,” he said. “It was inspiring to see what is being done at WSU by young academics,” he said.

By: Yolanda Palezweni