Matrics face tough times in their future

EACH year at this time, thousands of young candidates sit down to write their matric exams.

For most, it is a nervous circumstance as the pressure of 12 years of schooling comes down to a few weeks of scrutiny as to how successfully each learner has navigated their educational path.

Some will be hoping just to squeeze through with the bare minimum pass rate, while others will be aiming for many distinctions – but the tension will be there for all.

And it doesn’t stop with the pupils, as their parents will share in the nervy exam strain.

So, too, will the Department of Education and the teachers themselves, who will also measure their effectiveness by the results, when these are finally announced.

One trusts there will be an improvement over the previous two years when Covid made a negative impact on class hours and study regimes.

But what will follow the matric results?

There are two areas of concern; one that is short-term and the other a more lasting fear.

The immediate worry is the ‘pens down’ parties, or some other form of after-party, when youths celebrate their liberation from the confines of the classroom and school uniforms.

All too often in the past, this has led to heartache rather than rejoicing, from alcohol abuse, unrestrained behaviour or car accidents.

On the brink of adulthood, lives are snuffed out in a reckless or daring moment.

Already some provinces are calling for a ban on the pens down parties, and with good reason.

The second, equally serious, predicament for matrics is that many – perhaps even the majority of them – will find employment opportunities difficult to obtain.

Other than trying some form of entrepreneurial self-employment, this means standing in the grant queues, begging or becoming involved in illegal activities such as drug selling, to generate some form of income.

So, when we say ‘good luck’ to our matrics, we mean it in every respect; we have not exactly paved a golden path for you.

But while we have perhaps painted a negative picture, albeit one that is accurate, remember that there are always those who, with determination, overcome the odds.