​Thembisa Shologu
The matric class of 2021 sits for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations this morning.
The matric exams include 207 question papers written over 25 days, with no vacant spaces available. The last examination is set to be held on 7 December.
These exams are the culmination of twelve years of schooling and a gruelling final year of preparation and determine the future of your child and as a result, learners are under immense pressure to study and perform.
The new normal of a COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the valuable hours of learning.
This makes support in the home environment more important than ever.
Registered Counsellor, Esmarie Cilliers has some practical advice and tips for parents to help them navigate this intense time:
Provide your child with emotional support by being patient and understanding that they will experience some emotional outbursts ranging from anger to sadness.
Curb your expectations and dreams for your child by avoiding conflict and criticism, comparing them to older siblings or friends. Also, avoid being too authoritarian in your approach.
Help your child by searching for additional study guides, resources or old exam papers.
Create an atmosphere in the house that is conducive for studying and help to set up their study area in a quiet area. See that they have all the stationery they need.
Make sure that your child takes enough regular breaks to take their mind off from studying.
Temporarily relieve your child from house chores or other time-consuming responsibilities.
Parents can also download the NSC past papers by simply clicking on the subject paper you are looking for here: bit.ly/3iVG3aX
The Department of Basic Education has also introduced the WOZA Matrics programme to help Grade 12s catch up on their studies via classes broadcast on TV channels, online platforms and radio.
The programme is broadcasting on SABC 3, on all DSTV packages and OpenView (Channel 122) from 8:00-10:00 and 13:00-15:00 every day. Check out the broadcast schedule on https://wozamatrics.co.za/