Johannesburg - A top achiever from a school in Hillbrow said self discipline was the recipe for her success.
The coronavirus pandemic was a big adjustment for matriculants across the country who had to complete their final year of high school remotely.
This adjustment was made even harder by the challenges and costs of learning online for many matriculants who did not have access to wireless internet.
Nomagugu Ncube, top pupil at St Enda’s Secondary School in Hillbrow, told The Star that because she was unable to attend face-to-face classes she had to find other sources to help her study.
She got distinctions in Maths and Accounting.
The 2020 matriculant said with remote learning there wasn’t as much teacher assistance. This forced her and many Grade 12 pupils to find alternative sources for learning, including YouTube videos.
“The cost of data was so just expensive but regardless of that we actually made it and our exams weren’t too hard,” she said.
Ncube said that last year was also challenging for her because when the hard lockdown in place and schools were closed across the country, she had to learn to develop a strong sense of discipline.
“I had to tell myself, ‘At this time I have to study’ because there was no one who was going to go around checking if I’ve studied, checking if I’ve submitted assignments,” she said.
The matriculant said that her mother played a vital role in making sure that she remained focused on her academics and that she did not use the time as a holiday.
Ncube said 2020 was the year when she focused on herself and on making sure she passed her final examinations – and it worked.
She said she had her sights set on furthering her interest in neurology.
“I have always been interested in studying medicine but I needed that one thing that would grab my attention. Neurology grabs my attention because it’s all about the brain and the brain and the nervous system and that’s just magnificent and I need to know more about this,” she said.
@Chulu_M