Jessica Beats the Odds
Belittled, bullied and abused at a young age, Shania Jessica Mohammed was not deterred but rather used the opportunity for a second chance at education to prove her critics wrong.
Sunday 14 January 2024 | 11:24
Nabua Secondary School Matua Programme Year 13 Certificate Examination highest scorer Shania Jessica Mohammed with her husband Fraaz Khan and their three-year-old son Ibrahim Mohammed at Nabua Secondary School on January 12, 2024. Photo: Inoke Rabonu
Belittled, bullied and abused at a young age, Shania Jessica Mohammed was not deterred but rather used the opportunity for a second chance at education to prove her critics wrong.
This week, Ms Mohammed, 22, was over the moon after she scored the highest mark in the Fiji Year 13 Certificate Examination (FY13CE) for the Matua Programme in Nabua.
In English plus best 3 subjects, she scored 330/400:
Related stories
- English 82
-Maths 81
- Biology 89
-Chemistry 78
-Physics 51
Introduced to the Matua programme in 2021, Ms Mohammed said she has never regretted the choice she made to enroll for a second chance at education.
“Growing up I used to be bullied, belittled by my own relatives, I did not have a lot of friends to share my issues to and I went through a lot growing up in a single parent family,” Ms Mohammed said.
“Two months into starting Year 12 in 2020, I found out I was pregnant with my son. That is when I dropped out of school,” she said.
“My mum had to go through so much to raise us; my only sibling went through so much too. I was lost and my mental health was affected and I would run away from home in search of a better life.”
In 2021, Ms Mohammed said she made up her mind to go back to school to prove critics wrong.
“I did not know about the Matua Programme at first, I always pass this area and see people coming out of the school at around 6 to 7pm in the evening and I asked my husband where they were coming back from.
That’s when he told me that there was a Matua Programme for school dropouts here in Nabua Secondary.
“One day I just sat down thinking and realised that I needed to be strong, to prove others wrong.
“When my son was six months I made up mind that I was going to go back to school and that I would join the Matua Programme.
“I found out more online about the programme and I came here and enrolled.
“This was in 2021 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I enrolled but then I could not complete my studies that year because I went through some difficult times. My husband lost his job.”
She started a small baking business to look after her family and when she re-enrolled she made everyday count.
“I came to school every day. I knew I had a son who was looking up to me and that was my inspiration,” she said.
“My grandmother would look after my son, my husband would cook when I was tired from classes, sometimes I would even study with my son.”
At times she would take her son to school.
“He would sleep on my arm as I wrote my notes during class time.
“I had so many friends, there were people older than me and we worked together to achieve great things. I am grateful for their lives.”
Ms Mohammed hopes to secure a spot in the medical field either in nursing or dentistry this year.
She is also hopeful for the National Toppers scholarship.
“The teachers here were amazing, they took their afternoons out for us, Saturdays and also during the holidays. For that I will be forever grateful.
“My experience here was amazing and I also thank my family for standing by me from 2021, 2022 and 2023 when I completed Year 13.”
Feedback: inoke.rabonu@fijisun.com.fj
