Opinion - The whirligig of time rings in the release of the National Senior Certificate Examination results.
In the euphoria of success stories, failures can feel forgotten and forlorn.
But those who failed do not have to become distressed, depressed or desperate. This too will pass. Never give up.
A matric pupil who has not performed well has various options and may qualify for a supplementary examination conducted from February to March.
The pupil may apply for a re-check of sub-totals and total of marks or a complete re-mark of scripts.
A child who has failed may register for the Second Chance Programme, which offers full support, including Saturday classes at a designated centre with lead teachers.
A pupil who has progressed from Grades 11 to 12 has the option of sitting for the Multiple Examination Opportunity.
This entails doing three subjects and life orientation in the matric calendar year and exams in the other three subjects in June of the following year.
Those who have fared badly need a strong support system led by understanding parents.
A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved and a joy shared is a joy doubled. There is glory in rising but there is greater glory in rising after a fall.
Those who have done well should cherish and relish sweet success. Celebrate your triumph after toil and trouble.
Success spawns success. Aspire higher. Choose careers and courses wisely.
Matriculants should enrol at registered tertiary institutions with accredited programmes.
With half of our 54 million South Africans sadly living in poverty and 33% of our economically active population unemployed, it is imperative that our education system be calibrated to meet the economic needs of our country, so that school leavers can fit into the job market.
Moreover, young entrepreneurs should become job creators with skills training, start-up funding, networking and mentorship.
Our iconic late president Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the great engine of personal development.
“It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that the child of a farm worker can become the president of a great nation.
“It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
He added: “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.”
Education is the only salvation for our beloved South Africa bleeding from crime and corruption.
Education and educational institutions must be respected as sacred.
This will curb rampant violence and vandalism as well as bullying, drug and alcohol abuse and other social evils.
The government must demonstrate the will and capacity to promulgate and implement more stringent laws.
Education is everybody’s business. Everybody can and must contribute in ways big or small to educational advancement.
In education, the child is the apex priority. All stakeholders, including parents, have a pivotal role to play in the holistic development of the child.
Parents should get actively involved in school governing bodies.
Education is the greatest gift any parent can give his or her child.
For a child to develop to his or her full potential, all-round sound work ethics must prevail.
Parents must parent, pupils must learn, teachers must educate, advisers must advise, managers must manage and leaders must lead. Work with a sense of vision and mission.
Instruction time is sacrosanct. Teachers should not be called out to meetings or other activities during formal school hours.
A school is as good as its principal. The principal must ensure that every teacher arrives and leaves on time and that absenteeism is minimised.
Schools must be fully functional from the first to the last school day.
Lessons and tests need to be properly planned, prepared and delivered.
Assessment work and an overly clerical load on teachers must be reduced.
Quality education requires quality teachers and training needs to be upgraded.
Supervision and support services should also be strengthened.
Of course, there will be challenges, including budgetary constraints, which will impact negatively on education provision and programmes.
Our economic woes worsened after credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded our local currency bonds to sub-investment grade (junk) last November on “Black Friday”.
Zero tolerance has to be adopted towards wasteful, unauthorised or irregular expenditure by officials.
All tender processes must be characterised by integrity, transparency and accountability. There should be no looting of public funds.
Dishonest, lazy or incompetent officials should be named, shamed and blamed.
Clearly, we have to do more with less. Mindsets should change.
Human resources are more important than financial resources.
An ethos of discipline has to be established. The child requires a safe and enabling environment.
The child must realise that school is cool.
Sporting activities could be elevated. Tuck shops should sell healthy items such as fresh fruit.
Every school can cultivate an organic garden with a tank to harvest rain water.
Gardening, chess and culture clubs should be launched. Pupils must be allowed to affirmatively wear their religious symbols.
Every school should hold a Culture Day, so children can showcase their unique performing arts, mother tongue languages, dress, cuisine and arts and crafts, enhancing interracial and inter-cultural understanding, appreciation, goodwill and harmony, contributing sterlingly at grassroots level to unity in diversity, social cohesion and nation-building.
The school should become the hub of community activities.
The quintile ranking of schools has to be reviewed and revised to make the income index of parents the realistic determining criterion.
To build a strong financial base, schools need to develop a trust fund largely involving former pupils and local business entities.
A weak school should be transformed into a strong school and a good school should strive to become a better school.
A suggestion box and an annual “How good is my school?” introspective and self-evaluation report would assist.
Schools need to formulate a turnaround strategy. School and subject-targeted intervention programmes need to be intensified.
There have to be time-bound solutions to problems.
To improve Grade 12 results, the push for stimulation towards educational excellence should start at Grade R.
A recent shocking global report revealed 78% of our children in their fourth year of school could not understand what they were reading.
In the test, South Africa was ranked the lowest of 50 countries that participated.
Educationally, much has been done but much more has to be done.
We need to move further and faster. Trite but true: there is no gain without pain.
The only formula for success is hard work. Success comes with 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
In the cusp of the new year rising with hopes and aspirations for a better beginning, be positive and progressive - conceive, believe and achieve.
Be good. Do good.