The matrics of 2018 have done well to improve the pass rate in difficult circumstances, but there is still a great deal of room for improvement in the basic standard of education in the country, says the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Some of the stories of individual successes against all the odds have been truly inspiring.
The class of 2018 had to cope with an array of modern distractions yet they still managed to do the work and produce the results. They deserve our congratulations.
It is important not to be carried away by the success of the few because the real challenge is to improve the literacy and numeracy of the many.
Politicians are rightly concerned about the number of pupils who drop out before matric, but I believe there is a bigger challenge for the future and that is to make sure our education system produces matriculants who are equipped to deal with the changing demands of the modern world.
There is no doubt that we are becoming more reliant on technology and this means more emphasis should be placed on science, technology, engineering and maths.
Matrics must take a good hard look at the world and see what skills are needed. Many of them will see that an apprenticeship and becoming an artisan offers a more secure future than some of the exotic qualifications from colleges and universities.