Inspiring Eldos Couple Eddie and Kathy Kaas Complete Matric

WATCH Inspiring Eldos couple Eddie and Kathy Kaas speak about their journey to complete their matric more than three decades after leaving school.

Edmund and Catherine Kaas of Eldorado Park in Johannesburg prove that it is never too late to finish what you started, after earning their Grade 12 certificates more than three decades after leaving school.

The couple, now 50 and 51, put their education on hold when they discovered they were expecting their eldest daughter. Years later, inspired by the success of an older woman who had returned to complete her matric, they found Hopeful Leaders Night School and enrolled when the programme opened in Klipspruit, Gauteng.

Perserverance and Balancing Resonsibilities

Balancing demanding classes with family responsibilities, including caring for Edmund’s 90-year-old mother, was no easy feat. But with the support of their children, extended family and each other, the couple persevered, writing their final examinations in June.

They received their results on 7 August, with Edmund achieving a bachelor’s pass and Catherine a diploma pass.
For the couple, to complete matric was about more than career opportunities. It was about fulfilling a long-held personal goal, practising what they had preached about the value of education, and setting an example for their two grandsons.

Read the full original story by Robyn-Lee Francke on IOL

Catherine and Edmund attended their matric ball – Image via IOL

High School Sweethearts at Matric Ball

Their journey even included attending their own matric ball, prompting them to joke that they had officially become “high school sweethearts” after nearly 34 years together.

Now, the Kaases are looking forward to returning to the corporate world, carrying with them a powerful message: age, circumstances and the passage of time need not stand in the way of achieving your goals.

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