South Africans who missed their chance to achieve their Matric during their school going years will soon have an opportunity to complete unfinished business, with exam registrations for the Amended Senior Certificate set to open in October.
The reasons for failing to pass Matric are many and varied, but in today’s jobs market, not having a Matric certificate is a tremendous impediment to personal and career development, and therefore should be a top life priority.
Many people are not however aware that they are able to continue and complete their educational journey later in life, which is why it is important for them to take note of the opportunity presented in the form of the Amended Senior Certificate (ASC), an education expert says.
“It’s never too late to reach your educational goals, and the Amended Senior Certificate course is ideal to help adults complete or improve their Matric results, to boost their employability, pursue further education and unlock new opportunities,” says Siyavuya Makubalo, Marketing Manager at Oxbridge Academy.
ELIGIBILITY
To qualify to register for a Senior Certificate (as amended), candidates need to be over the age of 21 and have either:
· a Grade 9 or Standard 7 report stating they passed the year, OR
· a General Education and Training Certificate (GETC), OR
· a recognised equivalent obtained at NQF level 1 which requires two official languages.
Candidates may also register if they have an incomplete Senior Certificate.
SUBJECTS
Candidates who never attempted the Senior Certificate (as amended) programme, must register for six subjects, two of which must be official languages. Subjects include: Home Language (English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa); First Additional Language (English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa); Mathematics; Mathematical Literacy; Physical Sciences; Life Sciences; Geography; History; Accounting; Business Studies; Economics, and Agricultural Science. Students do not have to enrol for all six subjects at once.
To pass, candidates must pass three subjects (one being home language) at 40%, two subjects at 30%, and 20% in the sixth subject.
Candidates who have previously passed Senior Certificate subjects at Higher and Standard Grade levels, may receive credits for those subjects. A Higher-Grade pass is recognised at 40% whilst a Standard Grade pass is set at 33.3%.
“Returning to the books after a few years of being out of school can feel daunting, but is becoming increasingly popular given advances in educational delivery and development of support structures, which improve the student experience and support successful studies,” says Makubalo.
“We want to encourage adults who continue to be held back from their true potential in this economy because of their lack of Matric, to seriously consider this option in coming months, so that they can be ready to take the next step in their personal development when exam registration opens in October.
“Once this important decision has been made, we also advise them to carefully consider how they are going to turn their dream into reality, as choosing the right programme with the right institution is crucial to ensure a positive and successful student journey.”
Makubalo says when assessing options, prospective students should look out for the following:
Expert tutors who are able to assist with queries efficiently via email, and within 48 hours max, are essential. Ask about this support!
Dedicated student support structures that can assist with the admin side of things are important to ensure a stress-free logistical experience.
Constant communication to keep students in the loop across various platforms is necessary to make the student feel empowered and part of a study community.
Personalised attention must be accessible, so that students can receive one-on-one support where needed.
Resources beyond study materials need to be made available, to ensure students can step into the exam room as confidently as possible.
“For many people reading this article, finishing Matric may not even have crossed their mind, as the school years were left behind and life continued to do life things.
“However we would urge everyone in this position to think about what could be, and how accessible completing Matric is today, compared to even five years ago, and consider whether this might be the opportunity they have been looking for,” Makubalo says.