Grade 12 Exams in South Africa are Underway

Matric exams are underway

It is that time of year again. Grade 12 exams have started with the first practical exams having been conducted this past week. The main exams are scheduled to get underway in precisely 7 days from now. Are the children ready? We hope so but conventional wisdom dictates that sadly this is not the case.

This has been a tough year for grade 12’s throughout South Africa. The disruptions caused by the soccer world cup as well as the recent public sector strike action has left education in general and grade 12 preparations in particular in a precarious state, worse than was the case at this time last year.

Many grade 12 learners have lost so much learning time that they are being set up to fail as a result of events that were to a large extent beyond their control. When are we going to learn that the future of our children and consequently that of our nation lie in our educators’ hands. The way in which we prepare our learners, not only for the upcoming exams, but also for the future in general can have a major effect on our own future.

We as educators hold the key to the future of our country and we dare to put our own interests first!! Stop and think why we became educators in the first place. Many educators in this country should be hanging their heads in shame as a result of their actions.  The hard work being done by those educators who are dedicated to the well-being of their students goes largely unnoticed and they deserve our gratitude. We can just wish all our matrics the best of luck and hope they have the dedication to succeed in spite of all the obstacles. Have a great day and I will speak to you again tomorrow when I will discuss the psychological impact of the upcoming exams.

Mike Roberts