“Parents, learners and even teachers mistakenly think that Matric is the most important year of schooling, yet Grade 11 is just as important and these years should not be considered as separate milestones, but rather as a 2-year event,” says Nola Payne, Head of Faculty: Information and Communications Technology at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private higher education provider.

The reason for this is because many institutions – whether public universities or private institutions – make provisional offers for admission based on Grade 11 results, she says. Therefore, learners should give Grade 11 their best effort, and not wait until next year to throw their hats into the application ring.

“Applications for university open in the March of your matric year, but because this is too early for you to have any meaningful matric marks, institutions often use the exam marks from your Grade 11 year as an indicator of your ability to succeed in the course,” says Payne.

“Therefore, if you did not put enough effort into your Grade 11 exams and have the mindset that you will delay the hard work and study until Matric, you may be unpleasantly surprised to find out that it is already too late.”

Payne says that many learners have in the past been disappointed when they receive rejection letters in their Matric year, which would then require them to put in even more effort to improve their marks to a level where they might have a better shot at acceptance.

Additionally, learners often underestimate the difficulty of Grade 11, under the mistaken impression that the real challenges will only follow a year later.

“The work is just as – if not more – challenging than Grade 12, which is often regarded as a revision year. A lot of content is delivered in Grade 11 and can become overwhelming if you don’t resolve early on to keep up and master things as soon as possible,” she says.

Payne notes that higher education institutions usually give one of three replies to applications submitted based on Grade 11 marks:

• Provisionally accepted
• Waiting list
• Rejected

“Once rejected, it is very difficult to have your application re-evaluated, even if your Grade 12 marks have improved dramatically, and especially for those courses which are in high demand,” she says.

However learners whose applications in their Grade 11 year are rejected do have some options left to them, notes Payne.

These include:

• Applying for the same or similar course at a different institution which may still have space available;
• Applying for a different type of qualification at the same institution, for instance instead of applying for a degree course, applying for higher certificate or diploma in the same field, or a degree qualification in a similar field, and
• Working on improving school marks, particularly when placed on a waiting list.

“The waiting list is often a ‘cream of the crop’ selection which is applied once results are known. So  if there are 100 people on the waiting list and your marks are in the top 10, you have a better chance of being accepted,” says Payne.

She warns that Grade 11 is usually not identified early enough as the year when delivery of content assessed in the Matric exams begins, and that Matric final exams often contain more Grade 11 content than that which is covered in Grade 12.

“Learners will find that many of their Grade 12 months are spent practising and revising Grade 11 work. Additionally, exams throughout Grade 11 will mirror the types of assessments one can expect in the final assessment.

“In addition to ensuring timeous placement in a field of study at one’s institution of choice, working hard in Grade 11 also means that learners are able to make the best of the opportunity to practise the study and exam writing skills that will allow them to give the performance of their lifetime when the Matric exams roll around.”

“Almost every week we hear of another desperate learner or parent having to deal with the physical and emotional trauma of bullying, yet society and authorities’ responses continue to be reactive and unsuccessful in addressing the bigger issue,” says education expert Dr Gillian Mooney, Teaching and Learning Manager at The Independent Institute of Education, South Africa’s leading private higher education institution.

“These cases making it into the media represent only a fraction of the mistreatment many children go through. But the devastating consequences of bullying are leaving a lasting mark on the lives of countless youngsters, and the problem will continue growing unless an effective strategy is developed and consistently enforced,” she says.

Mooney says that national and provincial education departments throughout South Africa do have policies and procedures in place, albeit to varying degrees, on how schools should respond to bullying behaviour.  Bullying is centrally about trying to gain power, says Mooney, which means that a rise in bullying can be expected in societies where citizens feel disempowered.

“Society itself has become a virtual fight club, with examples of bullying behaviour abounding on social media, for instance. People feel free to behave appallingly, to the degree that anti-social behaviour has become almost accepted practice.”

“Bullying has a ripple effect, where it is the bully, the victim and the bystander who are affected. Other problematic home circumstances, for instance domestic abuse, divorce or the death of a parent, could also provide context in which the bully seeks to gain power through negative behaviour.”

She says it is important that high-profile and easily accessible structures and processes are put in place to help schools deal with bullying, as teachers often feel their hands are tied and victims of bullying feel that they have no voice. Additionally, bullies themselves should receive adequate support and counselling.

“Most importantly however, ways must urgently be found to address the prevailing power imbalance by demonstrating that bullying will consistently have clear and structured consequences for perpetrators,” she says.

“Some provinces have gone some way in setting up structures and processes to deal with bullying, but even in those instances, more must be done to communicate these interventions and systemically enforce anti-bullying processes.”

“When we have a situation in our schools where known bullies continue to wreak havoc upon the lives and futures of others, knowing that the system is slow and ineffectual in responding to anti-social behaviour, we are doing the victim and our society as a whole a great injustice.”

DANGEROUS MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BULLYING

• FALSE: ADULTS SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT WHEN CHILDREN ARE BULLIED – Adults must become involved. Teachers can monitor bullies to deter bullying behaviour. Principals can discipline. Parents can report to schools.

• FALSE: BOYS ARE THE MOST LIKELY VICTIMS – Both boys and girls are equally susceptible to bullying, although perhaps in different ways. Both boys and girls are the targets of physical bullying. Girls are more likely to experience relational, sexual and cyberbullying.

• FALSE: CHILDREN SHOULD JUST TOUGHEN UP – This myth is a hangover from ideas like “boys will be boys” and that children will “work it out”. Bullying can cause real harm and should not be ignored.

• FALSE: BYSTANDERS SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT WHEN THEY WITNESS BULLYING – Evidence suggests that bystanders are also affected by witnessing bullying. Observers also give bullies the audiences that they crave, and legitimacy if they do not sanction the behaviour. Children can be taught to reduce bullying by noticing, reporting and intervening.

• FALSE: IT IS EASY TO SPOT A BULLIED CHILD – Children do not report everything that happens in their lives to their parents. Adults need to find ways to make reporting bullying easier for children, and to follow up effectively when they do.

“Interviews can be scary affairs, and anxiety often trips up otherwise deserving candidates,” says Wonga Ntshinga, Senior Head of Programme: Faculty of ICT at The Independent Institute of Education, the largest and most accredited private higher education institution in South Africa.

“The purpose of an interview is to get to know a candidate more closely, and to try and determine which shortlisted candidate will be the best fit not only for the work and a position’s unique challenges, but also for the company and its culture,” he says.

Ntshinga says that few people will ever encounter the level of scrutiny recently visited upon the applicants who interviewed for the position of Public Protector. However these interviews, which enthralled millions of South Africans, did provide valuable lessons on how to cultivate one’s interview A-Game, and very importantly, how not to destroy one’s chances of being called back, he says.

“The best defence against wasting a valuable interview opportunity is to be prepared. Very prepared,” says Ntshinga.

“If you have all your ducks in a row by the time you go and sit in front of the panel, you will be the master of your destiny – not your fear and anxiety.”

He says the following should be kept in mind in the lead-up to the interview:

DO

Pay attention to detail

Do your research about the position and the company, opportunities and challenges. List and rehearse your career highlights as they relate to the requirements of the job you want to land. Focus on what you are currently doing, what you have done, and what you expect to contribute in future. Demonstrate how you will solve problems, manage projects and make decisions.

Understand that your track record is constructed throughout your life

When showcasing who you are and what you have done, source relevant and exciting examples wherever you can find them – whether from school, higher education or previous positions. Prove that you have successfully worked with various kinds of teams, for instance large-scale, diverse or acrosss continents, and that you understand how the physical world works.

Keep it clean

Skeletons – alleged and otherwise – came back to haunt a number of the interviewees for the Public Protector position. Realise that when two candidates are equal, the one that is able to demonstrate a positive impact on their community, and resilience and strength of character, is more likely to land the job. A good reputation is an invaluable asset. If there is a negative in your past, be prepared to convince the panel that you have grown and learned from it.

Demonstrate that you are part of a professional community

Join and become active in your industry body or a professional organisation. It shows that you are not an island and are committed to growing your career.

DON’T

Fake and fumble

Preparation is key. Know what you want to say, and find opportunities to do so in the questions that are posed. Ditch the unnecessarily lengthy monologues, and answer questions honestly and precisely. Above all, answer questions in a cool, calm and friendly manner. Show your entrepreneurial spirit, by providing examples of times you have looked for innovative solutions to problems.

Think your good grades and technical proficiency will pull you through

There is a good chance that most of the candidates competing with you during the interview stage will have the same level of subject expertise as you. That is why you have to demonstrate how you as an individual will be the best choice. Amplify and articulate your technical skills, but be sure to also showcase your great communication and strategic skills, and your emotional intelligence.

Let your social media activities destroy your real-life opportunities

All employers will do a social media background check on prospective employees. Online mistakes can last forever, so always be very responsible in your posts and interactions. If you have beef with someone, take it offline and solve the problem like an adult. Nothing says “stay away” like seeing unsavoury exchanges on your candidate’s timeline. So, even before you apply for a position, do a personal social media audit and ask yourself the question – would you hire the person you are seeing in those facebook posts and tweets? If not, you should invest some time in developing a more professional online presence.