Thousands of learners rejoiced and danced as the matric results were released last Tuesday.
Now it’s time for those who did not manage to pass their matric exams to worry about what to do next .
However, to those who did well, it is an exciting start of their journey.
Despite the challenges that many learners were faced with in the last academic year, they achieved the best results by not allowing any circumstances to stand in their way.
As a result of poverty, some learners had to go to school without breakfast after they went to bed on an empty stomach the previous night.
Other learners spent so much of their time in study groups that some of their friends labelled them as boring because they were no longer available to go to parties with them.
All these sacrifices paid off at the end of the year.
I understand the pressure you were under, but through hard work, focus and dedication you managed to cross to the river to the other side.
I have no doubt that the parents who supported their children throughout the year are all proud of your hard work.
Going to university where you will be responsible for making your own decisions on campus might sound like a big step, but the advice that I give you is to know the purpose of you being in an institution of higher learning.
Trust me, being independent with no parents to tell you not to do this or to do that is so exciting that most people forget the reason why they are at a university.
Remember, it is not a joke that some students come back home without a degree after spending four years in university just because they lost their focus and enjoyed the independent life more than they should have.
Education is one of the most precious and valuable gifts that your parents can give to you, do not throw it away but grab it with both hands and make your community, parents and family proud.
