Matrics write last exam
Final exams mean thousands can now look forward to the rest of their lives
THE end of the exhausting sixweek National Senior Certificate examinations, which officially draw to a close today, was marked by jubilant scenes at schools around the Bay yesterday as thousands of matrics celebrated the end of their 12-year schooling journey.
Despite a handful of Eastern Cape matrics still having to complete agricultural management practices and design exams today, the majority of the 83 968 full-time pupils and the 21 789 part-time pupils struggled to contain their excitement as they completed their final paper, English paper 3. Eastern Cape education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said he was happy to report that this year’s matric final examinations had been incident free across the province.
Victoria Park matriculant Shayla Knipe, 17, said she felt cautiously confident.
“I am very happy to be done with school and looking forward to what the future holds,” she said.
“I’m cautiously confident of my exams but, like every other matric pupil, will be waiting with bated breath for the results to be revealed.
“I will be studying a BA general next year at Varsity College and can’t wait to take on the challenge of tertiary education.
“For now though I am just happy to have got this far.
Walmer High School matric pupil, Thandoxolo Jam, 19, said: “It is an awesome feeling knowing that we have completed one of the major milestones and certainly the biggest so far.
“School has obviously done all it can to prepare us for the next stage of our lives. It is up to us to make the most of it now.
“I am very excited to begin my studies in HR at PE College next year.”
At Uitenhage High School, matrics jumped and screamed as they left the school gates. Waylon Machu, 18, said he was overjoyed to be done with school.
“I can’t wait for what is coming! I have done all that I can at school and I am sure it is enough for me to get good results for matric and a strong base for my studies at Nelson Mandela University next year, where I will be studying a BA general.
“I will probably miss my friends and some of the teachers who really played a big part in my school life.
“But there is a lot more exciting stuff still to come so I am sure the next part will be even better.” Mtima said: “We had no incidents regarding any irregularities such as cheating. The only incidents we had was in the Transkei and in Buffalo City where pupils could not attend a exam as a result of adverse weather conditions.
“These incidents were reported to the department and pupils will write what they missed as supplementary exams.”