Parents encouraged to support learners leading up to matric results release

Thousands of matric learners are counting down to the release of the 2019 DBE examination results. Many of them are anxious as it is a difficult period for them. Experts have urged parents to support their children.

A learner from King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape, Anelisa Masiza, says the wait is stressful.

“The waiting is, I think – apart from getting the results – it is the most stressful part of it. I feel like it is making me more anxious as the time is going. It was great. It was stressful. There was a lot that needed to be done in such a short space of time, but yes, it was the best and the final exam was much more stressful. I could not sleep at night. There were times where I would literally not even sleep at night because I would wake at five o’clock to get ready for school.”

Zamo Mbele, a clinical psychologist from the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), says learners need all the support they can get.

“It is all-important to distance the result from the person. Failing at something does not make one a failure. Family and friends may also help the learner not to catastrophise and maybe rather acknowledge the disappointment and also think about plans A, B, C and d including researching opportunities for re-marking, verifying the mark and research opportunities to re-write in this new year.”