JOHANNESBURG - The families of two matric pupils say an apparent administrative bungle has left their futures hanging in the balance.
Five months after completing their matric, the two Mondeor High School pupils are still without their final Visual Arts results, preventing them from moving forward with tertiary studies.
Their families want answers and accountability from the Education Department.
For most matric pupils, January marked the beginning of a new chapter.
National karate champion Aiden Arendse said he was devastated.
“I remember myself that night, crying myself to sleep thinking that I failed matric. And the next day I went to get my marks from school, and that’s when I saw that in visual arts, there was no mark," he said.
His mother, Anthea, said, "We approached the teacher, and he was just as shocked as the students because, according to him, everything had been sorted out because they asked him to submit and re-submit, which he did.”
Ayush Maharaj said his life is now on hold.
“I wanted to originally study law at the University of Johannesburg, but due to this issue with the matric certificate, I’ve lost motivation to further pursue law.
"It’s been difficult. To actually understand what’s been happening and for me, I’ve always wanted to finish school with that matric certificate, saying that I passed and to university, but this whole situation has put my life on hold, on pause.”
Both families insist the pupils met every requirement and say they have proof that the practical assessments were submitted and moderated.
But the Education Department claims the practical assessment task, or PAT, component was not completed.
Last month, the families received letters informing them that the pupils would need to rewrite the exams, sparking outrage.
eNCA reached out to the Gauteng Education Department and was told the matter is being looked into by the National Department.