2020 matriculants in a class of their own

The 2020 matric group will go down in history as being the most versatile and resilient year ever. True, these young people had no choice, it was a matter of sink or swim…

They went into matric, believing they knew exactly what they were in for, whether they were prepared for it or not. However, then the world turned upside down with the coronavirus pandemic, and so too did their year.

Nothing they expected happened when it was supposed to. Nothing they had longed for was available to them. And all the years of expectation they had built for their final year of school was set aside for a whole new reality.

I can’t blame them for being disappointed. We all spend 12 years of school looking forward to that final year which includes being the elders of the school, prefects, the matric dance, and various other once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

These young guns had to make urgent plans to adapt and make the most of their year. While the schools did what they could, every matric scholar had to find a way of making this work for themself.

They had to dig deep to master their work under lockdown and, more often than not, the only contact they had with friends and teachers was online.

Yet their results were astounding, and they came through … with flying colours!

This is our annual matric results edition, which much like everything else to do with matric 2020, didn’t come out when it was expected to. We normally begin our year of newspapers in mid-January with the matric edition.

And although this special edition was delayed by the release of the results, our rock-star matriculants didn’t disappoint. I’m incredibly proud of them all. Kol hakavod!

In some schools, the 2020 results were better than ever – go figure!

I can’t help but wonder how their bizarre matric year will set the tone for the rest of their lives. Resilience and versatility are character traits that can only serve them well.

Would that we were all able to adapt quickly to any situation and make the most of it, with outstanding results. People who are capable of this can literally take on any task because they make it work for them. I have to say, I’m expecting great things from this year of matriculants.

Having said that, their challenges aren’t over yet.

Imagine having applied to three universities around the country and not knowing exactly which one was going to accept you and what degree you could do. Exactly! Instead of having two months or thereabouts to get ready for university, they had a matter of days.

So, they hung around for two months waiting for the moment they could make these life-changing, urgent decisions and act on them. Talking about living the phrase, “Hurry up and wait!”

And then there are those matriculants who planned to go on one of the Masa programmes to Israel. These include study programmes, internships, service learning, and Jewish studies. Many young people in our community take up these incredible subsidised opportunities. But this year, the 2020 matriculants who were anticipating leaving soon after the December holidays are still waiting…

These youngsters came home from their holidays all geared up to go. Then Israel closed the airport for 10 days. And it remained closed.

They are still waiting to hear when they are going to leave. They can do nothing but wait. They can’t start another course or get a job because they might be given 24 hours’ notice before they leave. So, they wait and wait, anxiously trying to fill their time. They were all looking forward to Purim in Israel, and now they may still be here for Pesach.

Thank goodness they are part of the versatile and adaptable 2020 group!

Talking about being given 24-hours’ notice to fly to Israel, our page one story is truly phenomenal. A group of South African olim had also been waiting for ages to make this massive move. Many had sold homes, packed up, and were ready to leave.

But when you are given 24 hours to leave your home permanently, it’s never enough time to say goodbye. Having said that, what a unique experience their journey to their new home has been!

International Women’s Day

As a newspaper, we don’t often commemorate international days like Women’s Day, not least of all because we have our own national Women’s Day.

But a highly intelligent male 15-year-old told me the other day that he’s so bored with modern-day feminists as they are all man-haters. I realised then that it was important to take every opportunity to dispel myths and strengthen the move towards equality and ridding ourselves of gender violence.

Feminists of any description aren’t man-haters, they are simply people fighting for women’s equality. Their struggle is around reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, and against sexual harassment and sexual violence.

I do understand that there may be some women who don’t like men, but that has nothing to do with them being feminists.

Men can also be feminists. It simply means being involved in progressing equal rights and opportunities for women, and it encompasses the social, political, and economic arenas. I would love to say that in South Africa we are past the need to campaign for change, but we aren’t.

While in our community women have far more power than in most, there is still disparity in pay, and mothers are more often than not left to look after their children (mostly on their own) while their husbands pursue their careers.

In society in general, women are the main breadwinners but also the ones who earn the least. They are estimated to earn between 15% and 17% less than men for the same jobs.

While these issues exist and need a concerted effort to sort out, because of our enormous problem of violence and abuse of women, that has to be our focus.

And this has an impact on our community too.

This year’s theme of International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. I’m asking every one of our readers to challenge themselves to stand up against the abuse of women. It’s often the smallest correction in what people say that has the biggest impact. Join me in choosing to challenge myself to fight for women’s rights.

Shabbat shalom!