By Selenathi Botha
Every child dreams of going to school and passing grade 12. Some get tired along the way, while some hang in there so that they can achieve their goals. Matric is a vital grade where it gets to determine where or what you are going to do in life. It opens the door for you and other opportunities.
It was a joyful day for the matric learners as they wrote their final exam paper this week. Some were relieved, while some stressed about how they performed. Learners from different schools shared their experiences.
Khanya Mdoko, a grade 12 learner at Khutliso Daniels Secondary School, commented on how she felt about her final exam paper. She said, ”I was nervous and tired at the same time. I experienced a challenge of laziness, but at some point, I had to force myself to study. This was my last year of high school.
Zonke Mzileni, also of Khutliso, said, ”I was nervous at first, but I had to push and study because, at the end of the day, I am expecting good results. One of the strategies that I had to use was every hour I had to go and study, and since I have applied to higher [education]institutions, I want good marks.”
Angalakha Mahlelehlele, another grade 12 learner, also said, ”My last paper was okay. But my only challenge was procrastination. I only noticed now that the subjects and topics that I used to think were difficult are not that difficult. I wish I had studied them earlier”.
Yondela Noqhubi, a learner at Ntsika Secondary School, also shared his experience with Grocott’s Mail. Writing exams on their own was a challenging phase. A lot of things happened, such as depression and anxiety. “I could feel the pressure, and it was not easy. But in all that, I was able to push through. During my exam time, I faced some challenges, such as concentration.
“Usually, I worked under pressure, but during my exams, I could feel that it was going to cost me because I had to cover a lot of work at the same time; all in all, I am relieved now that I am done with exams”.
Luvo Twani, another Ntsika learner, shared his feelings. ”I felt the pressure. I had to work harder so that I could get better marks and apply to universities or better jobs, even though there were obstacles along the way, such as Eskom [loadshedding]. Sometimes, during loadshedding, I would use a lamp to study, which resulted in my vision getting blurry, but all in all, I felt fine with my last paper”.
