Failing Grade 12 can feel like a death-sentence hanging over your head, but take a deep breath and put it into perspective. Says Zivana Jenkinson, GM of Marketing at Edu-Loan, South Africa's dedicated educational financial services provider: "There's such a build-up to the final year of school that it really does feel like the end of the world if you fail. But trust me, the sun will still come up the day after the results are released - life goes on, and so should you. Rather look at it as a temporary setback, and get cracking with planning your future!" Zivana has this advice to offer those who didn't make the grade:
Study Further
Besides repeating Grade 12 at school, there are quite a few options available for private study. Further Education and Training Colleges (FET) (www.fetcolleges.co.za) offer a National Certificate (Vocational), which gives learners from Grade 9 upwards another alternative to Grades 10 to 12 by offering industry focused training on the NQF levels 2 to 4. The certificate offers both theory and practice, and the practical component may be offered in a real or simulated workplace environment, providing students with real-time experience whilst studying.
You could consider private colleges and study either on campus or via correspondence, the most popular colleges being INTEC (www.intec.edu.za) and Damelin (www.damelin.co.za). Studying by correspondence, in particular, has many advantages: you can work (ideally in a field in which you would like to build a future career) and study concurrently; you can pay for your studies and save to study further after Grade 12; you can study in your own time and at your own pace and enroll whenever suits you. You could also consider e-learning, such as www.brainline.com, an alternative to correspondence where the whole curriculum is computer based, on CD and online.
Finance Facts
If you need to finance your studies yourself then working and studying via correspondence is your best bet. If you find that the work/study really suits you, once you've completed your Grade 12 you could carry on working and continue onto tertiary studies via an institution like Unisa. This would also enable you to qualify for loans, either with banks or with a dedicated educational services provider such as Edu-Loan (www.eduloan.co.za).
Helping Hands
Enlist the support of your family, friends and community and don't be afraid to ask for help. If you are ever feeling really down and need some quick help to bring you out of the gloom, call the SA Depression and Anxiety Group on (011) 262 6396 or Lifeline on (011) 422-4242.
So now is the time to take action: keep your focus forward, your chin up, your head held high, your shoulder to the grindstone and the words of Sir Winston Churchill in mind: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Now go out there and do it!
This article is brought to you courtesy of Edu-Loan, who wishes all their tertiary students good luck in the 2008 exams and for their future studies! For more information, please visit www.eduloan.co.za or call their Client Services Department on 0860-55-55-44.
Editorial Contact:
Olivia Neves
Kezi Communications (Pty) Ltd
Tel: 011 616 1860
olivia@kezi.co.za
www.kezi.co.za
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