Matric 2024: Pupil, 25, gets four distinctions after quitting job

What happens when you take a leap of faith and pursue your dreams? For the matric class of 2024 pupil Andiswa Nhlabathi, facing her fears and having trust in herself led her to obtain four distinctions after quitting her job. Hailing from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Nhlabathi quit her job two years ago and went back to high school to start again.

NHLABATHI PASSES WITH FOUR DISTINCTIONS DESPITE BULLYING 

Speaking to The South African, Nhlabathi says that as much as she had a job, the thought of going back to school lingered at the back of her mind. At the age of 25, she decided to return to school to pursue her dreams. She stated that the reason she went back was that she didn’t have matric in her books.

“I decided to go back to school because I didn’t have matric. I did go to college but didn’t get to finish due to some personal issues,” she said.

Nhlabathi says passing with four distinctions wasn’t easy, as she faced trials and tribulations in her journey. She experienced a lot of bullying and judgement for quitting her job and returning to high school. 

“I was bullied a lot at high school. I’m happy I never lost focus on my goal. I’m so proud of you girl,” she said in a Facebook post. 

She says that she plans to pursue a degree in nursing.

26-YEAR-OLD PASSES MATRIC AFTER REPEATING IT THREE TIMES

In other news, a 26-year-old passes matric after failing it three times. Ntombenhle Mashaba said that giving up has never been a solution for her. 

“I did matric in 2018 and it did not go well. I returned in 2020 to start grade 11 and reached matric, but it did not go well as well. I went back again and came back with a Bachelor’s Pass and one distinction,” she explained. 

She encourages people not to commit suicide but to rather go back and try again. 

In closing, she says, “I’m a true definition of someone who has patience. I am proud of myself.”

MATRIC YEAR OF 20-YEAR-OLDS? 

Another 26-year-old who went back to high school and passed her matric is Amanda Magadlela from Mdeni Senior Secondary School in Dutywa Esikhobeni, Eastern Cape. 

Magadlela said that going back to grade 12 at the age of 26 was no child’s play.

“To be honest, going back to grade 12 at the age of 26 years was tough. The journey was hard but, I finally made myself proud. I thank God and those who were talking badly about me. They words made me become more determined,” she expressed. 

SECOND CHANCE MATRIC PROGRAMME

If you are not satisfied with your matric marks, there are various ways to improve them. Most people decide to go back to high school and start over but others choose to opt for the Second Chance Matric Programme.

The programme offers support to students who want to rewrite subjects if they are not happy with the marks they obtained for that subject. 

From the programme, you can:

• Write your National Senior Certificate supplementary exams in March.
• National Senior Certificate (NSC) progressed learners ( those who wrote the NSC but did not sit for six subjects) can write in June.
• Part-time NSC candidates (learners who attempted the NSC exams post-2015) can write in November.

Have you ever thought about going back to school or pursuing another career and why? 

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