Ismail Asmal of Ballito writes:

Are good academics the only measure of success in life?

I believe good academics are important for a variety of reasons, but they’re not the sole means of achieving success.

Never rely on the marks which you obtain – they are only a barometer from which society judges you. I have seen children who scored all distinctions in their school examinations, but remain unemployed because they couldn’t cope at a tertiary institution.

The secret is this: Recognise your strengths and work on them. Believe in yourself. Don’t chose the direction for which you are not designed; it will lead you to disappointment.

I do think though that there are important things we get from academics: Reasoning and analytic skills, the ability to learn new subjects, the ability to persevere and focus on difficult topics. No one is going to think of you as brilliant if you lack common sense and/or lack social and communication skills.

I know of numerous very wealthy business owners (multimillionaires) who didn’t receive any formal school education but turned out to be extremely successful (if money is equated to success), and in fact employ chartered accountants, who have spent several years writing difficult exams.

My personal view, after having taught in schools for close on five decades, is that the greatest injustice that the Education Department did was to eliminate subjects suited to children who are not academically inclined, such as metalwork, plumbing, woodworking, motor mechanics, electrical wiring, etc. Those who were fortunate to receive such education before the ‘new’ dispensation are earning a pretty decent living.

So to those students who didn’t ‘do well’ in the matric exams; all is not lost. The Almighty is watching over you and you too will discover your niche!

I hope that my observations are accepted in the spirit with which they have been offered, and serve as a source of inspiration and motivation to all those who feel that failing at matric level is the end of their lives.

Letter shortened – Ed.

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