Mind the gap, education experts warn matrics

It’s an opportunity to put your textbooks down and relax for a few months, to travel the world or save up some much-needed money for studying.

Whatever the reason, gap years – matrics taking a year off after finishing school – are becoming more and more popular.

While this time off can be useful, there are certain pitfalls that come with it.

Education expert Peter Kriel, general manager at the Independent Institute of Education, said top of those was that graduates who studied straight after school and completed their qualification within the required timeframe were significantly better off than matriculants who entered the workplace right away or who opted for a gap year, particularly if that gap year was unproductive.

Kriel said further downsides included losing one’s place after being accepted to university, while prospective students also stood the chance of relaxing their “study muscles”.

“It is completely understandable that the idea of getting away from the books after the demands of one’s final year at school is a very attractive idea for many,” he said.

“However, after that year, getting back into the habit of studying and focusing on academics are major challenges which are best avoided,” he said.

To curb this, Kriel suggested taking up something to improve one’s skills during that time, such as distance or part-time courses.

“This means that you can get a better idea of where your passion and talents lie, while at the same time earning some certification that will make your gap year less of a hole in your CV. Doing some short or distance courses allows you to investigate your options and interests without the financial and time commitments required of full-time degree study,” he suggested.

Jessica Gold, director at Cape Town-based Gap Year South Africa, said finding work within your chosen career path during a gap year was also a great option.

“That’s basically what we do. We host students by giving them a place to stay, transport them and feed them and they pay us a hosting fee.

“We then place them at difcharities or non-governmental organisations that we work with as volunteers, where they can gain some valuable work experience,” she said.

Gold said while she mostly worked with overseas students, more and more South Africans were taking this option too.

“There are many reasons, but it could just be that tertiary education is just too expensive or maybe they don't know what they want to study,” she said.

As this year's matrics are in the process of deciding their futures, Kriel urged them to “mind the gap”.