With the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results being released in a few hours, there is no doubt that the matric class of 2020 is going through the most daunting time of their lives, filled with panic, pressure and anxiety.
Last year’s batch of matrics had undoubtedly experienced the most strenuous matric year in history, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This included months of no face-to-face teaching and no social interaction with peers, with some having to adapt to online remote learning while others had to go through the struggle of learning their content while relying only on textbooks.
Regardless of the learning method, one thing was guaranteed that they would be writing their final exams on November 5.
And they did.
On Monday Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will start unwrapping the bandage that has held on tight to their skin. She will be announcing the matric pass rate which will be broken down per province.
IOL spoke to a few of last year’s matrics to find out how they have been coping since writing their last exam and how they were feeling about the much-anticipated matric results.
Nuriyya Kagee,18, from St George's Grammar School said she was doing her best to stay calm.
“I'm just filling up my days. I've been working as a babysitter and keeping my mind occupied and I've internalised that whatever is, I worked as hard as I could and whatever the result is, I couldn't have worked any harder. I'm settled in that department, but obviously, it's quite nerve-wracking, so I'm just meditating, breathing, reading,” she said.
Kagee said the holidays and having people around kept her mind distracted until just a few days ago.
“But it's still tough, just like waiting very long to know whether you got into university, it's been hard. We went from a really, really stressful point with a possible rewrite to a complete holiday for two months. It's been nice to wind down,” the grade 12 pupil said.
Preyantha Govender,18, from Crossmoor Secondary School, said she was nervous about the pending results.
“I feel really anxious but I'm just waiting to get my results. It scares me to think about how we did and now knowing they decreased some subjects by a percentage is even scarier,” she said.
Ntando Mdlankomo from Athlone high school said she grew anxious.
“The waiting so long of results is killing me in the sense that I can’t cope because I'm panicking. To me the government is frustrating us and you end up losing hope although I know the exams were not bad at all,” she said.
She has used the time to focus on polishing her violin playing skills as it relaxes her. She has also found a holiday job to keep herself busy.