The Sunday News
Bruce Chimani Sunday Leisure Correspondent
THE late former South African president, Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and his statement rings true in the life of one Simon Juba who got seven distinctions at O-level and 20 points at A-level. He is the first Zimbabwean to get an undergraduate scholarship in Japan, a feat, which saw him relocating to Tokyo three weeks ago and is likely to put him on the right track in his effort to, like Mandela said, change the world. Sunday Leisure Correspondent Bruce Chimani (BC) conversed with Juba (SJ) and excerpts of the interview are below:
BC: Take us through your academic journey, where did you start and how have you gotten to where you are?
SJ: My academic journey began at a small local primary school (Mazwi Primary) about five minutes from home in the suburb of Magwegwe North, in Bulawayo. After completing my primary school education I got an opportunity to study at Mpopoma High School where I wrote and passed my O-levels and continued to Advanced Level, majoring in science subjects. Afterwards I proceeded to Nust to pursue an undergraduate degree in Electronic Engineering, I had to leave Nust after almost completing two semesters when this opportunity to study in Japan presented itself. I would say hard work and the right associations are part of what helped me get to where I am.
BC: Interesting, so what have been some of your greatest achievements so far?
SJ: As far as achievements are concerned, I would have to say my greatest ones are what I’ve achieved academically to date; those would be obtaining seven distinctions from my Ordinary Level examinations and 20 points at Advanced Level.
BC: Wow, you are really a genius man. That is great. So how did you actually get this particular scholarship? Were you surprised when you received the news?
SJ: I read about the Japanese Government Scholarship online and decided to apply. I had applied for numerous other scholarships before and frankly, I was growing tired of all the application procedures but I still proceeded to apply. After submitting my application I was called for selection examinations, I was then shortlisted and called back for oral interviews. I was a bit surprised that I was called back because the exams seemed really tough and I was not very confident about my performance. After the interviews, the Japanese Embassy recommended me as a candidate for the scholarship to the Japanese government, which finally made the decision to accept me after a whole five months after we had been interviewed. I was not surprised about getting the scholarship per se, but the fact that I was one of only three undergraduate students from Africa who got it was not something I had expected.
BC: Great stuff. So you are now in Tokyo, and what do you think of the school you are at currently? And Japan in general?
SJ: Currently I am at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies learning the Japanese language and about their culture. TUFS is a beautiful school in the city of Fuchu and the programme that we are doing is said to be extremely intensive but the teachers and even administrative staff in our department have close relationships with us and are always willing to assist. Japan is a beautiful country, which is both clean and peaceful. People here respect each other and are always on time, the latter has taken some getting used to because it’s nothing like back home but I’m learning to adjust daily.
BC: Where should we expect you to be in the next few years?
SJ: Next year I will be proceeding to pursue an undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at one of the universities in Japan. After my four years of undergraduate study I plan to proceed to work towards a master’s degree and to do some research work which I hope to apply to my home environment in the near future.
BC: Awesome. Tell us a bit about your personal life, age, inspiration and what else you do.
SJ: There’s really not much I can say about my personal life, I am just a simple young man who’s almost 20 and who’s been going to school for the better part of his life. I love music and I am fascinated by all things electronic hence the career choice. I draw inspiration from Christian Scripture among other things and I try to live life according to the will of God. My sisters being the accomplished individuals they are and my parents being the loving and hardworking parents they are really inspired me to get to where I am and I always strive to be my best and represent my family well. I also love isitshwala and I’m doing my best to survive in this country without it.
