Matriculants urged to explore alternatives beyond universities

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The class of 2023 has been advised that university is not the only post matric route that one can follow and not gaining access to a prestigious tertiary institution is not all doom and gloom. Last week, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that the class of 2023 achieved an 82.9% pass rate.

40.5% of students achieved a bachelor’s pass, 27.2% achieved a diploma pass, and 14.8 % achieved a higher certificate pass. This means, while some will gain entry to university, many have not met the requirements.

Career counsellor Telishia Thinnasagaren-Chellan says the possibilities for those leaving school are endless.

As the annual wave of excitement and anticipation surrounding university admissions has begun and it seems in 2024, many students are moving away from what used to be considered the more conventional careers, like teaching, law, commerce and medicine. These two top learners from Redhill School in Johannesburg, Sihle Sigwebela who obtained six distinctions and Enhle Gasa who obtained four distinctions say, they will both be perusing careers in the arts this year.

“This year I am studying towards a career in music. I am looking to study this career because I’ve spent at this point over 10 years involved in music in various forms and I’d like to take it forward as a career. I’m also very passionate about it,” says Sigwebela.

Gasa says, “I’ve chosen to pursue a career path in acting for film producing as well as directing. I’ve already been accepted into various programmes, both locally in South Africa and in the United States. This decision stems from my deep passion for storytelling and the cinematic arts. I’ve always wanted to be a part of that industry.”

2023 matric results announcement:

Alternative pathways 

Not every student has received the admission letter they were hoping for. However, for those who did not quite make the cut, there’s a myriad of alternative pathways awaiting exploration, says career counsellor Thinnasagaren-Chellan.

“You may have not been as successful as you thought you would be. What are your options? You could ask for a remark. You could apply for a supplementary exam and rewrite your examination, trying to upgrade or improve your mark. You could also consider redoing your matric here at a different school so that you can have a completely new start. Many TVET colleges as well offer something called a bridging course where you basically do a year or maybe two years that transitions you to study what you’ve chosen. For example, with engineering, there are bridging courses that can help you get into that.”

The reality for many South African families is that finances for tertiary education is not also easily accessible.

Thinnasagaren-Chellan says even in situations like this, many companies, organisations and government departments offer apprenticeships where matriculants can work and study at the same time.

“You don’t have to just consider studying through a public institute. There are TVET colleges. There are private colleges, there are private higher education institutes and there are many more programmes as well which you can get into to further education. The other option that a student coming out of matric has is to work and study where you earn an income and further your studies, for example, internship programmes or work study programmes.”

She reminds the class of 2023 that the journey after matriculation is not a one-size-fits-all experience. She says, each student’s path is unique and exploring alternative options can lead to fulfilling and successful careers.

“Matric is just a stepping stone. It is just a door to the next chapter of your life. It is not a wall. It does not stop there. It does not end there. That is not where your life ends. There is so much more to your life and it starts with making one healthy decision one after the other and following through. So, remember, regardless of your results, there are so many options available to you. Research to make an informed decision about your future.”