Second chance for matrics who try hard
NOW that the matric results have been released, thousands of young people are set to begin tertiary education or seek employment opportunities.
The majority of those matriculants will look to move on from their school careers, but some may be unhappy with their final pass results. There will also be those who have, unfortunately, not met the pass requirements for the National Senior Certificate.
Optimi Home managing director Louise Schoonwinkel, who provides accessible home education and afterschool solutions for parents, tutors and learners, said: “It isn’t always possible for these learners to return to their schools and rewrite one or more subjects during 2020, but this doesn’t have to be the end of the road. These learners do have the opportunity to pursue a second chance.”
Premier Alan Winde said that for pupils disappointed with their performance, there were many pathways to success. They needed to look at all the opportunities available to them, including re-marks, rewrites and opportunities for further study and development, he said.
Schoonwinkel said pupils could make use of a distance education provider and redo one or all of their subjects to improve their marks and get the pass they want. Moreover, they could do that with a high degree of flexibility from home, in their own time.
Ricardo Mackenzie, DA Western Cape chairperson on premier and constitutional matters, encouraged matriculants who are not studying further in 2020 to apply for the Premier’s Advancement of Youth (PAY) project.
The project, launched in 2012 under then premier Helen Zille, offers hundreds of placements within provincial government departments and structures to deserving matriculants who want to gain valuable work experience in the public sector, build their CVs and be exposed to career avenues that would enable them to make well-informed career choices later in their lives.
“Over 4 300 internship opportunities have been created since the inception of the project,” Mackenzie said.
The closing date for PAY project applications is January 17.
More information can be found on the PAY website, accessible by using the following link: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/pay.