St Andrew's School for Girls' 2021 matric candidates. From left: Gabriella Jasson, Jessica Franklin, Robyn Carrington and Nkanyiso Dlamini. Photo: Karabo Mashaba.
St Andrew’s School for Girls’ matric class of 2021 have managed to maintain a 100% pass rate with all pupils achieving a Bachelor’s pass.
Despite going through two of their most critical years of high school during a pandemic, the girls have proven their resilience with a few of them being placed on the Independent Education Board’s (IEB) outstanding achievement list for being ranked within the top five percent of students nationally.
The 2021 matric students say they have gone through challenges such as burnout and the struggle of time management. The Citizen spoke to four of the school’s top achievers about their experiences during their 2021 academic year.
“Burnout was a big reality because you never really knew what was going to happen. You were always on your toes, waiting. So burnout happened quite quickly,” says Gabriella Jasson.
ALSO READ: Matric results live blog: Class of 2021 succeeded despite ‘hostile environment’
The school has implemented resources and strategies to assist their students cope with the hardships brought by the pandemic.
“Our biology teacher had a workshop [for exam preparation] and it was really helpful. Every lesson was recorded so no one was truly left out,” says Robyn Carrington.
“Since we come to this school, everyone assumes we all come from the same background and that’s just not the case. A lot of people don’t have access to WiFi, unlimited data bundles or electricity sometimes. They [teachers] made sure to record and upload every single lesson,” Carrington adds.
Nkanyiso Dlamini advises the next cohort of matric candidates to “take it one day at a time.”
“I think what’s also important is to work hard from the beginning because you then have a good portfolio behind you and it takes a little bit of pressure off for the final exams,” says Jessica Franklin.
The pupils also advise future matric candidates to never be afraid to ask for help and to talk to people about the stress and feelings of anxiety that they may be experiencing.
Jasson plans on studying medicine at Wits University. Franklin says she will be studying genetics at the University of Pretoria. Carrington and Dlamini both intend on studying drama at Stellenbosch University and the University of North Carolina respectively. Dlamini says she also intends on adding law as a major.
Jasson, Carrington and Dlamini each got six distinctions and Franklin achieved seven.
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) is urging the matric class of 2021 across the country to seek help if they are feeling overwhelmed after receiving their results.
If you are feeling distressed and need to seek help, contact Sadag on 0800 21 22 23 or 0800 456 789 (24hrs).
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