JOHANNESBURG - The class of 2025 is preparing to sit its final exams.
For some grade 12s, it’s a time of nerves and anxiety, a time that can lead to a deep depression.
How can they get through it in the best possible way?
It’s down to the next month for hundreds of thousands of Grade 12 pupils as they prepare for their final exams.
Reaching this point has been built-up over milestones in the year.
Nqobile Ndzuke is 75% ready for her finals, but will be 100-percent there by the end of the weekend.
The 18-year-old has had to balance studying with a busy year of extra-mural activities at Sacred Heart College.
The support of loved ones has made the difference.
Ndzuke is one of over 17,000 Grade 12 writing the IEB exam.
Nearly a million full-time and part-time candidates will sit the public school matric exams.
Some of them are at Rephafugile Secondary School in Mamelodi, where community activists try to give them opportunities similar to those found in more affluent communities.
The SA Depression and Anxiety Group receives between 2,500 and 3,000 calls daily.
This number increases at this time of the year.
In the midst of these feelings, an expert calls for the class of 2025 to remain calm.
Educational psychologist Ronewa Mphephu said, “First and foremost, it will be matrics to not sacrifice their sleep."
"They really have to sleep, because knowledge is only solidified when one has had deep sleep, that’s when they’ll be able to remember. So instead of cramming work and exhaustion, rather sleep, consolidate your knowledge and then you’ll have a good exam session.”
Parents are also being asked to take special care.
Mphephu said, “lnstead of parents playing the role of the teacher, they have to parent now. Avoid asking about the grades, avoid asking about study items, they have to parent. Ask them if they’ve had a meal, allow teachers to play their role to support the kids with supporting them academically.”
Experts also warn about the distraction of social media, calling for breaks from phone use during this time.