Western Cape Education Minister Cameron Dugmore's message to matrics

From Monday 11 October, you will start writing the most important examinations of your school career to date, the 2004 Senior Certificate examinations.

You are one of more than 58,500 candidates. The vast majority - more than 41,800 - are full-time candidates who will say farewell to their schools during this week.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you well, and want to urge you to study hard and prepare for this examination to the best of your ability. The fact that you have made it thus far, says much about your character, and I have every confidence in you that you can overcome this last final hurdle as well.

No doubt, many of you have been studying under the most testing of circumstances, but I want to encourage you never to capitulate to factors that might rob you of a better future.

This Senior Certificate, at this point in your life, represents a very important qualification to a better world. However, you must not see this as the end of your learning life, but as the beginning. As you enter the world of adulthood, we ask you to commit yourselves to lifelong learning, to maximise your potential, and to discover talents you thought you never had.

Ten years ago, many of you would not have been able to enter certain careers due to the policies of the past. Today, this is no longer the case - the world is your oyster. After matric, many further studying opportunities await you.

This government wants to build and share the Cape as a Home for All. For this to become reality, we need all of you to study hard and achieve even greater results than all of your previous examinations.

You have the love and support of your parents, families, friends and communities. The entire education community is standing by you as you prepare for these examinations.

I therefor urge you to keep your focus in the remaining days; be confident in your ability; concentrate intensely on your books; and make us all proud at the end of the day.

I know you can.

Yours Sincerely

Cameron Dugmore
Minister for Education
Western Cape Province