Matrics today have fuller menu to choose from

GONE are the days that matriculants only wrote history, science and accounting. These days matric examinations can include unusual subjects ranging from Arabic, dance studies, agricultural technology and Portuguese.

This year’s National Senior Certificate exams also has many other interesting subjects on its timetable, including sport and exercise science and dramatic arts.

One of the lesser known subjects, equine studies, caters for pupils who want to enter a career within the equestrian environment, such as veterinarians, veterinary nurses, equine physiotherapy, racehorse trainers or horse breeders.

Nautical science and maritime economics are two subjects offered to matriculants who want to pursue a career in the maritime industry such as engineering officers, navigating officers and ship captains.

Other languages on this

year’s timetable include Hindi, Tamil, German, French, Sepedi, Siswati and Setswana.

Provincial education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said there were 10 pupils this year writing Arabic in the province while only one pupil was writing Portuguese.

“There are 35 writing dance studies, 51 are writing visual arts, 10 are writing IsiZulu home language and 126 are writing design.

“There are also 107 who are writing electrical technology and 270 are writing information Mtima said.

He said 209 East Cape pupils were writing agricultural management practices.

“The department does its best to make these subjects available to pupils where there is a demand for it.

“These pupils may require these subjects for various reasons, perhaps they want to study later in these fields or perhaps they want to study abroad in a country and will require these languages.”

technology,”