It is 5 August 2014, and for any Grade 12 learner taking the
National Senior Certificate (NSC) in a South African school, final examinations
are imminent. Is that wasn’t enough, between
now and 27 October, there are any number of other time-consuming events, such
as a complete third quarter, or trial, examination, a break in school, weekends
with family events, and maybe even a Matric Ball! Just what is possible in the limited time
remaining, and where should grade 12 learners be now?
For better or worse, South African school learners are
required to write a gruelling school-leaving set of examinations. They do so at a time when the media is filled
with speculation about the quality of the examinations, and even the quality of
the very education that led to them. In
short, grade 12 learners do not have a great deal to be enthusiastic about, if
they listen to many of the voices which freely express opinions about their
development.
On top of it all, the Department of Basic Education endures
a great deal of criticism as the favoured target of popular, often poorly
informed, opinion. Individuals readily pull
out their soap boxes to write to the every-hungry media to voice their
misgivings about the relative low level of performances of South African
school-goers in relation to their African counterparts. Or, my personal favourite, how, after twenty
years of democracy, schooling in South Africa is still not adequate. I particularly like the manner in which,
often those who were educated at well-resourced schools, are most vocal that
our public schools should be equal, when in fact the school system is fast
becoming more stratified! More of that
on another day!
What this does, however, is paint a backdrop, simplistically
referenced here, which makes for a complex context in which grade 12 learners prepare
for their final examinations. The NSC
examinations themselves are sat by well over 500 000 school-leavers, and the
certificate that, hopefully, follows will itself play a number of roles for the
individual and for society. For the
school-leaver, it is an exit qualification, one that will be required for any
number of purposes in the future including further or higher education and the
job market. So, in short, the pressure
is on, and grade 12 learners start to feel it.
Why, then, do those same grade 12 learners have such
difficulty envisaging the limited time remaining until the onset of their
examinations, and planning for how best to use that time? I wrestle with this question. Like the answer to most questions, I believe
that the answer to this one is multi-dimensional, and the following are but limited clues to one or two parts of the reasons. For one, I buy into
that horrible concept of ‘instant gratification’. Young adults (as most adults do, just ask the
retirement planners!) have difficulty seeing the connectedness of today, and
tomorrow. The benefits of medium to
long-term gains are frequently minimised by the prospects of engaging with
something or someone immediately!
Secondly, school success has come too easy to most learners at school. There has never been a question of failure
for many (indeed, I have it on good authority that even when learners actually
fail, every effort is made to get them into the next grade!), and when they are
challenged with the prospect of doing better in a high-stakes examination, it
simply does not resonate with them in the way it should.
The bottom line, then, is the following:
·
NSC examinations start for all candidates with
the English, Home Language, First Additional Language and Second Additional
Language first papers on Monday, 27 October
·
the start of the examinations is 83 total days
away from today
·
the start of the examinations is 43 school days
away from today: those 43 days include a full September examination
My guess is that most South African grade 12 learners have
not digested this reality, and have not placed their own preparation into this
context. So, what can be done?
I cannot begin to explain how many recently completed
school-leavers I have come across over the years who have either wished that
they had prepared better or repeated one or more subjects in the hope of a
better performance. In short, school-leavers
realise very soon after receiving their final NSC examination result just what
they have, or have not achieved! More
importantly, they realise what a difference a little more effort may have made,
and they wish they could have that time back.
My advice to grade 12 learners, on 5 August 2014, is to
consider the following 9 steps to preparing for the final NSC examinations:
1.
Get a grip: look at the calendar, take out a
piece of paper and a pencil, and plan your next few weeks until the end of the
examinations. If you are not serious
about this, do not read any further. Your
plan should eliminate parties and social engagements from the next few
weeks. Remember, going to the club is
not about the 6 hours you are away, it’s also about the many hours before and
after the event that occupy your mind!
2.
Your plan should cover all the work, in all of
your subjects. Coming across work that
you do not understand is a good thing – rather now than in the examinations.
3.
Your plan should allow for additional time for
your problem subjects, and not allow for more time for your favourite subjects,
just because it makes you feel good to do this work continually.
4.
Now, once you have a realistic plan in place,
discuss with your parents and siblings, so that the lives of others around you fit
in with your plans. If they doubt your
sincerity because you have never worked as hard, convince them today by
starting your programme of study tonight.
5.
Do not fail your programme, and if you do, make
up the time!
6.
Keep a log of all the work you do not
understand, and ask your, or another teacher, for assistance. Try to avoid asking your best buddy, unless
s/he regularly achieves 100% for these subjects.
7.
Whatever you do, do not panic. There is lots of help about, be open to is,
and seek it out.
8.
Get sufficient sleep.
9.
Last, but not least, START IMMEDIATELY! We are prone to procrastination, and we do
not realise that the one immovable is 27 October. Every morning we wake signals a day fewer to
prepare!
Tick, Tock!
