Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has held an information session-sharing on the Second Chance Matric Support programme which the department runs.

This is part of the national road show, educating communities about the programme.

With the national matric pass rate at 76.2% for 2016, the programme is aimed at assisting the learners who didn’t perform to their full capacity and those who failed.

Motshekga says the core of the programme is to ensure that scholars aren’t lost in the system while they sit at home and engage in societal ills and says they have since extended the group they aim to assist.

“It initially started off for learners who have failed the previous year. But as we were going on the demand it is really for every young person who left school earlier and who wants that second chance, to give them the opportunity to write matric. We don’t want to run a parallel system where we have matrics but we do feel that if they want to come back in the system, not to school, we will see what we can do.”

Motshekga says there will be several options to obtain learning material.

“It is to move to a more digital system on radio, TV, phones and e-schools. They can also access material face-to face to motivate them, on weekends, to find out where the difficulties are.”

She has appealed to the youth to grab the opportunity, and engage with the department on how the programme can be improved.

“Unfortunately without a qualification it is difficult to demonstrate your capabilities. If you don’t have proof of matric, you are sometimes just dead in the water. So it is in their interest to make use of the opportunity to ramp up their careers, lives and professions.”

Some learners say they will access the revision materials to help with their exams too.

“It definitely does help especially for us children with disabilities, because first it gives us an opportunity to succeed and secondly it gives those pupils who didn’t do well first time an opportunity to see life in a positive light and continue. They must say: I don’t want to be caught up in crime, I want to know I can finish and help my family.”

Learners who are involved in the programme this year will start their examinations this week.