Age is no barrier to fulfilling your dreams: Nomvuyo Skota-Dayile receives PhD at 70

Mdantsane's Nomvuyo Skota-Dayile, 70, proved age is no barrier to fulfilling your dreams. She received her PhD in education from the University of Fort Hare in May.

It took her nine years to complete her doctoral degree, a journey she proudly proclaims to have no regrets in taking. She says while mindful of scepticism surrounding studying at an advanced age, learning has no such limit and should be encouraged.

“I started my PhD journey in 2014 and have no regrets about my decision,” she says. 

Supervised by Dr Sipho Mkhomi, she titled her thesis: Parents’ views of their 0-4-year-old children’s sociocultural development at home while in Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres: Implications for ECD Policy.

She conducted her study at four ECD centres in East London using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as a theoretical framework and a case study on the interpretivist paradigm. 

Fourteen parents between the age of 25 and 80 were interviewed to collect data which was analysed using a thematic approach.

The key findings revealed that with the introduction of ECD centres, social and African cultural values were weakened, resulting in fragmented knowledge among black South African children in study and a lack of language proficiency. This denied them the chance to achieve a fair balance of knowledge acquisition.

The findings of Skota-Dayile study have prompted calls for greater commitment from South African ECD policymakers and professionals to capacitate children to grow and thrive in a multicultural and multilingual society, rather than treating them as one “universal English child”.

Skota-Dayile advocates for a conscious partnership between the ECD sector and families to foster children’s healthy growth and cultural, emotional and cognitive development.

She intends to use her study to work with ECD centres to fulfil the 2008 South African Judicial Education Institute Act's call for children’s sociocultural development, through her company Buyisi'Africa.

After matric, Skota-Dayile completed a diploma in medical technology, specialising in clinical pathology. She then worked as a medical technologist for 13 years, during which time she did in-service training at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital and worked at Edendale Hospital.

She changed careers when she realised medical technology did not match her inquiring mind and activism. She moved to Cape Town in the mid-80s and registered with the University of the Western Cape for an advanced diploma for educators of adults, completing her honours and master's degrees there. Later she lectured for 10 years and worked as a director of the Women’s Hope Education and Training Trust in Cape Town.     

Skota-Dayile says she encountered a few hurdles while doing her PhD. “Among the many difficulties was not having a steady source of income. I relied on my children, who made sacrifices to fulfil my dream. I also fell ill and had two surgical operations, and was hospitalised in 2016.

“My study became the only solace and I sought ways to protect it. I enjoyed doing it at UFH, which is why it was difficult for me to give it up, even when the circumstances were dire. I met Sipho Mkhomi in November 2021 and it is through him that I graduated. I feel exhausted, yet proud of myself for not giving up.”

Her message to the youth is that it is never a waste of time or inappropriate to study. 

“When the opportunity to study presents itself, go for it and commit, because in the end, you are doing it for yourself.” 

This article was sponsored by the University of Fort Hare.