Retired teacher offers advice to matric pupils

Covid-19 has made it a tough year for pupils, more so for matrics who have the added pressure to not only pass their exams but to obtain results that will get them into the higher education institutions of their choice.

Due to the lockdown, the number of days spent in the classroom were severely restricted.

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While some pupils had the privilege of catching up on lessons via virtual classrooms others, particularly in rural settings, have been severely disadvantaged.

According to the Department of Basic Education, the combined June and November examinations will commence officially on Thursday, November 5, 2020 and conclude on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.

The delay in the start of the final grade 12 examinations will allow schools and pupils adequate time to cover the curriculum and will also ensure that ample time is allocated for revision of the syllabus.

With more than 42 years’ experience in the education sector, retired teacher and principal, Prithiraj (Jeff) Dundraj has some advice for matrics, teachers and the department.

Mr Dundraj spent 39 years at Port Shepstone Secondary in various roles, including teaching Afrikaans to matrics.

The last three years of his career were as principal of Jai Hind Primary.

“The matric curriculum is intensive as it encompasses work from both grades 11 and 12. Some four months of the academic year have been lost and pupils are not adequately prepared,” he said.

He called on the education department to make some sort of adjustment, as well as on teachers to assist with intervention classes to cover lost ground in content driven subjects such as life science, economics and business economics.

“Teachers have to come to the aid of pupils by going beyond the call of duty,”said Mr Dundraj.

Although preparation time has not been adequate, he expects the matrics to perform reasonably well.

“They have to accept the pressure, it will be a stressful period. The exams have to be written or it will be a wasted year.”

Mr Dundraj’s top three tips for the matrics of 2020 are to stay focused, not to give up hope and to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel if they work reasonably hard.

He added that education authorities should be considerate during the marking of examinations as the current circumstances are not only a local problem but a global one.

Mr Dundraj predicts the overall matric pass rate will be about 70 percent.

“But the pass rate will vary from school to school. Schools with more resources such as online teaching will perform better than impoverished schools.”

The results of the 2020 grade 12 examination will be released on February 23, 2021.

The education department also assured candidates that the late release of the results will not jeopardise their admission to higher education institutions.

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