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The matric exam is a mockery and should be scrapped – it has no place in modern education

Michael Workman
By Michael Workman
9 Mar 2023
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To expect pupils to write just one exam that will determine their future is quite absurd, especially if it is simply written because it is ‘the norm’.

The matric examination tells us very little about the purpose and nature of what the exam is about. Notwithstanding, it does tell us how far South Africa lags behind other countries in the world when it comes to education.

An exam should rather tell a story about a student’s voyage through school, than give just a mark or symbol. Furthermore, it should yield valuable information about factors that require review and need to be changed within the school curriculum.  

To expect pupils to write just one exam that will determine their future is quite absurd, especially if it is simply written because it is “the norm”. The exam is nothing more than a mockery.

For many pupils who have an average to good memory it is an easy task, but for those who haven’t it becomes a nightmare and must rate as one of the worst events in their schooling career.  

The old adage, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” simply has no place in today’s world. If this is the case, then how do we know that it could not be done better?

Another example of this type of thinking is – “if I did the same curriculum at school in my day and it worked, then why change things?”

Whether we like it or not, the curriculum has become stagnant and the world is moving forward. Schools that do not change and move with the times will become redundant, eventually giving way to some other form of learning be it online, home teaching or blended learning.

Stress a major factor in teen suicide


There is no doubt that the matric exam places huge pressure on Grade 12 students and their parents. In South Africa, 9% of all teenage deaths are due to suicide and the numbers are increasing. Children, especially at exam time, suffer from anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Every day it is estimated that 21 South Africans commit suicide and, according to experts, stress could be a major contributor.  

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) already an old concept in most countries, the matric exam presents as a massive stumbling block, preventing any kind of innovation within South African schools.

Inasmuch as many parents and teachers want the status quo to remain, possibly because they see any fundamental change as a “lowering of standards”, this is not the case. Schools are meant to take an active lead in the curriculum, which should be dynamic and continuously changing to meet the needs of an ever-changing world.



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One only has to look at other regions in the world to see how meaningful educational change can bring about positive transformation. Such countries build on their own education plans according to their needs – they do not simply borrow, piecemeal.

Finland, a forward-thinking nation, has developed an education system to suit its own requirements.

Singapore has developed a curriculum that is presently changing because the current system places too much pressure on children and their families.

The Singaporean authorities have recognised this, and have already made appropriate reforms to their curriculum, by reducing pressure on school children. They have also observed that there is a need for more problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, mainly because of the 4IR.  

South Africa is a country that could make meaningful changes to the educational system if the resolve to do so were there. For this to happen would require a huge mind shift from a predominantly autocratic top-down system which is totally controlled by a final exam.

Since when did an exam have so much power and control over education? It could be construed that education has become a political game that is underwritten by politics.

‘Hidden curriculum’ propaganda machine


After all, the “hidden curriculum” has been used effectively all over the world as a propaganda machine. To mention a few nations that have resorted to using politics in education are Nazi Germany, communist China and apartheid South Africa.

The way in which the curriculum is implemented and its failure to address issues of equality and equity almost makes one want to consider conspiracy theories – surely after 30 years we should have a functioning educational system that acknowledges problems of poverty, lack of delivery and corruption? 

Educators need to seriously question whether the matric exam is necessary – there needs to be a purpose, otherwise why write the exam?

The same applies to internal assessments. If there is no valid reason to have these assessments, then why waste time doing them? I have a sense that the assessments and the matric itself are only there for bureaucratic reasons. DM

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