Warning against matric ‘pens down’ celebrations

KING Cetshwayo’s Education District Director, David Chonco, has discouraged matriculants from attending ‘pens down’ celebrations after finishing their final paper of the year.

His remarks come in the wake of reports of numerous celebrations planned throughout the district.

‘I wish to appeal to all parents to assist us by discouraging their children from taking part in these gatherings.

‘Our experience with these pens down celebrations is that they end up leaving scars and tears to many learners, who may find themselves as rape victims while others may lose their lives.

‘We fail to understand the logic behind these celebrations, because life does not end with a matric certificate. Tertiary education still awaits them.

‘It is also disappointing to see some learners tearing up their uniforms while there are countless children who go without school uniforms,’ he said.

Chonco also commended the role played by teachers, parents, school governing bodies, traditional leadership and the police in the ensuring incident free writing of the examinations.

The class of 2018 completed their exams this week.