Failing 'is not a matter of life or death'

Failing matric is, needless to say, devastating for a young person who has dreams of a better life.

So much so that some pupils who fail even take their own lives.

Janine Shamos, spokesman for the SA Depression and Anxiety Group, cautioned pupils not to see their matric results as a matter of life or death.

"Matric learners need to remember there are always options.

"There's always something that can be done, even if it means rewriting a subject.

• BREAKING: Motshekga announces 72.5% matric pass rate‚ up 2.5% over previous yearThe matric class of 2016 have achieved a pass rate of 72.5%‚ up from 70‚7% in the previous year. The pass rate reflects the achievement of the 442 672 matriculants who passed their National Senior Certificate exams‚ Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Wednesday evening.

"Even if you failed the whole year, there are always options," she said.

Data from Stats SA data show the unemployment rate among those without a matric certificate stood at a staggering 58.1% during the first quarter of 2016.

This is more than double the national unemployment rate of more than 27%.

"Youth with less than a matric were most likely to be unemployed," Stats SA said in a report.

The unemployment rate among those with just a matric was 33.7%.

•  Revealed: The sacrifices made by matric achievers and their parents to get to the topParents quitting part time jobs‚ buying their child a scooter to get around‚ or downloading extra materials are some of the way matric achievers were boosted to get to the top

Though still high, this was better compared with those who did not complete Grade 12.

Employment opportunities are even better for those with tertiary qualifications. Just 6.2% of graduates were unemployed in the first quarter of last year.

Failing matric should not be the end of the road. The Basic Education Department has a programme, aptly called Second Chance, to assist pupils who do not pass Grade 12 the first time.    

•  Forget matric results ‘annual shindig’ and rather focus on early learning: Equal EducationEducation lobby group Equal Education (EE) has slammed the country’s “preoccupation” with matric results‚ saying the focus should rather be put on primary school.

"The overarching objective of this programme is to offer young people who have failed . a second chance to obtain a matric [certificate], thereby improving their quality of life," said the department's Elijah Mhlanga.

It is a support-driven programme in which participants are taught by Grade 12 teachers "with an excellent track record".

Shamos urged pupils who have failed matric to speak to their schools about options available to them. "It doesn't mean it's the end of your life. It means that you have a new opportunity to be better than you were the last time."