Don’t despair: if you fail your exams, you have many options

If you were in matric last year and you received your results but you did not pass the way you wanted to or did not make it, do not despair because there are options that you can explore.

SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) spokesperson Senzekile Shongwe  told Sowetan on Thursday that these options included applying for a bridging course with a university of your choice or rewriting the subjects you did not get great marks in.

Shongwe, however, stressed that parents or guardians needed to support pupils who had failed their 2021 matric exams.

Shongwe said first, parents should not tell their children that they are disappointed in them.

“The first thing that is very important is for us to realise that failing is normal. That’s the first thing that parents and the community need to be aware of. Failing matric does not mean it is the end of the road. It doesn’t mean the child is not worth being celebrated and loved, which is a very big thing in society where the worth of the child is put in their academics. There are other avenues that can be taken.

“They can support children through saying ‘it is OK that you did not make it through matric. Tell me as your parent what you would like to do going forward’, and you show them that there are other options. When you do that, you are saying to them that I understand that you failed, I understand that it hurts right now but there are ways we can move forward as a team together and I can help you navigate through those options,” said Shongwe.

She said parents must encourage their children in fields they excelled in, be it soccer or drawing.

She said other options to explore included looking for other career choices that are more suitable for you; applying to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges; and taking a gap year and using the year to job-shadow and research careers.

National Youth Development Agency CEO Waseem Carrim said TVET colleges offer good courses with strong employment prospects. 

“Community colleges remain an option. There is the option of private colleges as well and SETA skills development programmes,” said Carrim. 

Counselling psychologist Buyisile Mcina echoed Shongwe’s sentiments, saying not all pupils were gifted academically and parents should consider supporting their children’s creative talents. 

Sadag is able to provide free telephone counselling and support to pupils who need someone to confide in,  and they can call Sadag on (0800) 567-567 or (0800) 212-223 any day of the week to speak to a counsellor.

Sadag has trained counsellors available from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. Alternatively, you can SMS 31393 to speak to a counsellor.

Sadag is also available on WhatsApp on (076) 882-2775 between 9am and 5pm or you can visit www.sadag.org for more information on how to get help.