With just a few months left before Grade 9 pupils make their subjects choices, they have been urged to start thinking about this significant decision sooner rather than later.
The Grade 9 subject choice is an important decision about which combination of subjects they will be pursuing through to their final matric exams.
Education experts say that choosing these subjects is the first important milestone on the road to building a career.
Natasha Madhav, senior head of programme: Faculty of ICT at The Independent Institute of Education, said: “The world changed last year – not just because schooling and work were disrupted, and not just because both had to happen from home in ways never imagined before. The world changed because we are unlikely to go back to what we experienced in 2019.”
She said even if the “new normal” would change, the risk of future disruptions or change in skills that are in demand still remains.
“So, for instance, law has not vanished as a field, but most lawyers now need to consult online as easily as they do in person, and they can collaborate in real-time with colleagues all over the place. They also need to be advising people on both physical and digital implications of what they do,” said Madhav.
She stressed the importance of developing an understanding of the field you are interested in. “Then look for jobs and careers that seem future-focused and have accepted the uncertainty, volatility and change that are part of our new world.
“After that, you may look for institutions that not only offer future-oriented curricula, but whose teaching and learning and assessment are explicitly directed at a changing world. This then links to smart subject choices.”
One of the key issues to consider is the fact that automation is on the rise, and that technological adoption by companies will transform jobs and in-demand skills in future. Madhav said.
“By speaking to a student adviser at such an institution, which crucially must also be able to demonstrate that meaningful learning continued during lockdown, learners will be able to discuss their current interests and strengths, and then get advice and insight into which fields will be in high demand in future, and which subjects they can choose later this year which will give them access to these fields,” she said.