Experience of youth in the National Senior Certificate second chance matric re-write programme

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the experiences of young people who had participated in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Second Chance Programme previously offered by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and handed over to the Department of Basic Education (DBE)4 in 2016. Second chance education is based on the idea that ‘through an organised structure an individual can actualise an educational opportunity missed or failed the first time around. The study applied the techniques of qualitative methodology and was undertaken in the West Rand, Gauteng in South Africa. It was found that the programme had assisted many young people who otherwise would not have been empowered was it not for this second chance to broaden their academic horizon. This study recommended that the programme be continued by the Department of Basic Education which terminated it two years ago.