By Gomolemo Mothomogolo
Nellmapius Secondary School Grade 12 pupils have expressed confidence that they will pass their matric examinations. Matric exams kicked off on Monday morning with more than 900 000 learners writing the English paper 1. Afterwards, the learners told Newsnote that the English paper went well and among them was Nlanhla Mdluli, who said the paper has boosted her confidence. “The English paper 1 wasn’t bad at all. I was expecting it to be difficult but it wasn’t that bad. I am happy and looking forward to writing paper 2 and other papers. I want to do the best for all my subjects so I can study further at a university,” said Mdluli. Another learner, Angel Molala, said the exam was easy. “I wrote well. English is my favourite subject. But I am not looking forward to math paper 2. Math paper 1, I can try but paper 2 is a problem. I hope I will be an English teacher one day or perhaps maybe a lecturer at the university”. Simpiwe Mnisi also gave her first exam a thumbs up saying she planned to study for a teaching degree and plough back into society. “I am planning to do teaching next year because there are a lot of young people who will relate to my story. I also want to invest in education. I am not as academically inclined as others. I am slow at reading. “I want to ensure learners who are like me get enough attention, time and motivation. I want to teach because of them, that with hard work you can achieve anything,” said a Grade 12 learner Simpiwe Mnisi. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, the MEC for Education in Gauteng Matome Chiloane and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi monitored the start of exams at Nellmapius Secondary School. Motshekga said the sector has prepared the learners and all systems go for the exams despite rolling blackouts. “I think tough situations need everybody to be tough. This is why I emphasized resilience. It doesn’t help to complain about what you have to do and what needs to be done under difficult circumstances. Indeed they are a cohort that faced the worst storm of COVID-19 but teachers and professionals landed a hand to support them so they had the most support,” she said.
