University of Zululand Unizulu Matric Upgrade
Dropping out of school or failing matric has serious consequences. Currently in our country there is no pre-matric qualification meaning pupils who do not pass matric will have no proof of their academic status.
Employees will not accept school reports as they are not nationally standardised and are therefore unreliable indicators of achievement.
Universities use matric results when determining who will be allowed to study which course, although many South African universities are also using the results of the National Benchmark Test (NBTs) as part of their admission criteria. The NBTs were introduced in 2005 and are used to measure a student’s readiness for the academic demands of university.
There are two NBTs. The first is the Academic and Quantitative Literacy Test while the second is the Mathematics test. Some universities require that only the Academic and Quantitative Test be written while others require both.
What the are the options for a student that has passed but not received a university pass and for those that failed matric outright?
Matrics who want to have their exam papers re-marked have until the 21 January and each exam remark will cost R79.
For those who want to rewrite certain exams, supplementary exams will be written on the 17 February, but submission for these exams has to be done by the 24 January.
And each re-write will cost R59. Matrics are eligible for the supplementary exam if they have not met the requirements to get their matric certificates, but need passes in a maximum of two subjects to get an overall pass.
There is also an option for those have failed completely. According to Education Department Spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi, a number of centres will be set up around the country where students can improve and upgrade their results.
‘However I want to warn all students to be aware of ‘fly-by-night’ centres and to check with the department whether the centre is legitimate or not,’ added Mahlambi.
If you’re under 21, you can re-enrol at school. This means you can redo matric. There are other options available like registering at a private institution or enrolling at an adult education centre.
These centres are free of charge. Another option is vocational training. The National Certificate (Vocational) and the N Courses (N3 – N6) are aimed at learners who have not achieved a Matric certificate but can exit the FET College with a vocational qualification.
For more information or to find out if a centre is legitimate contact the Provincial Education Department on 031 3270331 or You can call 0800?872?222 or visit www.saqa.org.za, www.careerguide.org.za or the higher education department’s website: www.dhet.gov.za
