IMTUTORING THE KEY TO GOOD GRADES.

Ms Itumeleng Mako is an entrepreneur from Pretoria (Hammanskraal), a founder of Itumeleng Mako Tutoring (IMTUTORING) which its main office are at Hatfield Pretoria and their eminent tutors scattered around Pretoria, Johannesburg and Hammanskraal. IMTUTORING is a platform that provides door to door and group tutoring lessons to learners from Grade 7 until higher education. This mentoring organization is predominantly aimed at townships and informal areas. All members of the organization are University graduates, putting the focus on unemployed graduates in order to provide them with financial relief on a part time basis while they seek permanent employment.

“I work with a diversity of wonderful tutors who possess a excellent background in Engineering, Commercials, Marketing, Sports, Business, Mathematics, Politics and Logistics.” Itumeleng explains. Back in 2015, Itumeleng attended female workshops at TUT Main Campus, this is where she got inspired by stories of young women starting their own business and coming out strong from various challenges they faced. “It was a wozawoza moment for me, to find something I found pleasure in doing and generate revenue from” she said.

When she started with her lessons, she did everything for free. She later realized that it consumed a lot of her time and a lot of learners needed these tutorials. She then expended her group and started charging for her time. This also helped her pay for her own accommodation in town, it was a good start. Itumeleng did further research on what tutoring entails. She began to understand the gap between learners and teachers at school. The dismal percentage of first years failing in University. She saw an opportunity to get more tutors and be of one mind, closing the gap by offering personalized private lessons to learners in need. “The need for our services and feedback from our clients kept pushing me all these years, now it’s a lifestyle.” Said Itumeleng.

In the year 2019, the organization maintained a record of a 100% pass rate, an absolute achievement from the 96% they obtained in 2018. IMTUTORING is Itumeleng’s hope to instill a mindset on the youth, aimed at a sustainable development of communities. The organization is used to give hope to hopeless communities, encourage a pass to a hopeless learner. They mentor to show the youth their potential and they see themselves as the vehicle for the youth to explore the academic world without financial pressure.

“It’s up to us at the youth to make change a change NOW and you won’t know how good you are until challenging yourself is a hobby.” These are the words Itumeleng lives by.

By: Thuli Galane.