Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

05 November 2024

3-minute read

It’s the final stretch for matric students! According to the Department of Basic Education, more than 732 000 full-time candidates are writing the final exams of their schooling careers. Facing mounting pressure as they sit for their National Certificate examinations, grade 12 learners across the country are feeling the weight of expectations, which can take a serious toll on their mental health.

The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust, a subsidiary of the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, aims to implement holistic support and youth development models especially aimed at matric learners. Maikana Makhulwana, support administrator at CRET, stated that throughout their academic journey, South African youth face a number of psycho-social pressures that affect their learning journey, such as “depression, anxiety, food insecurity, lack of access to health care; some child-headed households, and gender-based violence”, and this is where CRET comes in to assist those in need.

During this last stretch of their exams, it is essential to prioritise, particularly, support and mental wellness which plays a huge part in how well a student copes with the pressures of the final exams. CRET advocates teaching students how to take care of their own mental wellbeing as well as encouraging them to adopt strategies to reduce anxiety during this period. This is done through online programs for students on how to manage their time effectively, and gives strategies on how to deal with procrastination, which is the biggest challenges nowadays. The dominance of social media means that learners spend a lot of time on their phones on social media, preventing them from making optimal use of valuable study time. Other challenges include poor support structures for stress, depression and anxiety, and not being able to tackle these feelings and employ the correct coping mechanisms to deal with them.

Study paralysis is another debilitating factor that occurs when students feel so overwhelmed by the workload they have or by the expectations they face, that it makes it difficult for them “to initiate the process of studying”. Maikana says that learners think about the amount of work they have and try by all means to avoid it because of the sheer volume of that work, as well as the expectations of family members. With the finish line in sight, and with the right tools, matric learners can learn to cope effectively with the mounting anxiety they are feeling.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim.