Matric students now have less than a week to go before their exams according to the official countdown from the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
This countdown is presented prominently on the official department website’s main page. It ticks down in real time which is good if you want an up to date reminder, but it must be stressful for students, their parents and teachers to see every time they visit the site for resources.
Aside from the countdown on the DBE website, the department also provides daily updates on its Twitter account along with an associated image and some small piece of advice.
“Parents, please continue to support your children as they prepare to write their final exams,” the department wrote with eight days to go.
“Remember that revision is very important,” the DBE ads at the nine day mark.
It’s exactly a week before the matric class of 2021 sit to write their first exam. #matric2021
@ReginahMhaule @HubertMweli @wozamatrics @ElijahMhlanga @dbetvnews pic.twitter.com/7p81ec48dQ— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) October 19, 2021
Also posted to Twitter is the DBE’s various visits to schools all around South Africa in preparation for the exams.
Just yesterday Elijah Mhlanga, Chief Director: Communications & Media: Department of Basic Education, returned to his own high school as a form of encouragement.
Mhlanga also visited another school on the same to discuss planning and achieving goals.
The department does these kinds of visits all year long with their exploits posted to social media, not just in the lead up to exams. We have to wonder if these constant visits have any actual impact on school performance or morale.
Communications chief director @ElijahMhlanga is visiting schools in Mpumalanga as learners prepare to write their final exams.
Part of his message: “Have a good plan on how you are going to move forward and achieve your goals. Be consistent.”@Mpueducation @HubertMweli pic.twitter.com/Fm1gIsPfTp— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) October 19, 2021