'I was excited to be in matric. I dreamt of going to university to study pharmacy, but it feels like that was snatched away from me.'
Image: File photo
As South Africa celebrates the highest matric pass rate in the nation's history, the moment is bittersweet for the few who did not pass and for a KwaZulu-Natal woman who claims that she was forced to not register for the final exams.
*Lihle Sishi, an 18-year-old from Durban was in matric in 2024 and she said she struggled academically at the beginning of the school year due to the death of a loved one which also led to mental illness.
"I was excited to be in matric. I dreamt of going to university to study pharmacy, but it feels like that was snatched away from me," she told IOL.
She said she struggled in the second term as well. Sishi claims she was approached by one of her teachers for a 'talk'.
"At first I was touched because I thought she cared about me and that she perhaps wanted to help me get back on track with my grades. But what she said instead broke me into a million more pieces."
Sishi claimed that the teacher told her not to register for the final exams because she would just 'fail anyway'.
The matriculant said she refused but that she was ultimately forced into it. "My school has a good pass rate. I was told that by continuing to write, I would rob the school of its prestige, respectability and awards for the teachers.
"Before I had difficulty with my grades, I was an average student. I passed but was not exceptionally. All this was brought up to guilt me into agreeing with her. I was made to feel useless as a learner and a failure as a human being," she continued.
Sishi went on to say that she was told that she could apply for supplementary exams instead. She told IOL that she is determined to prove the unnamed teacher wrong and secure a good future.
She congratulated the class of 2024 and said she can't wait to join them.
*Nokwanda Zondo who teaches at a high school in Pietermaritzburg, KZN told IOL that learners are often told not to register for the final exams if their earlier results are worrying.
"If they are going to fail, why bother registering for the exams in the first place. These learners only bring down the school's pass rate and reflect badly on the teachers. It's a better look for everyone if they opt out," she said.
However, the educator denied the claim that some learners are forced into this.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) matric results showed an impressive pass rate of 87.3%.
*Not their real names. Changed for privacy.
IOL