Durban - Matric results for the vast majority of pupils will be released early next week.
Some will be looking forward with eagerness to the results, some with dread, some with indifference.
For all concerned, remember that 2020 was an exceptional year, for pupils and teachers.
Confronted by the Covid-19 pandemic, education, like many other sectors, experienced never-before-seen upheaval.
Teachers were forced to WhatsApp lessons and worksheets, and to conduct classes using Zoom, Hangouts and other facilities.
But many children could not afford the few megabytes required to download the worksheets, much less to participate in online lessons lasting 45 minutes and more. And some may not have had the equipment.
Many, not having the free meals provided as part of school feeding schemes, would have been studying on empty stomachs, and coupled with the lack of structure and discipline engendered in a classroom environment, learning would have been difficult.
On return to class once lockdown restrictions were relaxed, lessons stopped and started as teachers and pupils tested positive for Covid and were required to go into isolation, meaning more precious learning time was lost.
Essentially, this meant a whole year’s work was crammed into a few months of classes, with little time left for revision.
Bear all of this in mind as you scrutinise the results.
Parents, accept that your children did their best in very difficult circumstances, and remember that it is not the end of the world for those who performed below expectation.
We are proud of our matric pupils, who sat for exams, wearing masks and shields, despite the odds being stacked heavily against them.
The Independent on Saturday