It is farewell season
Matric dances have evolved over the years and it is no longer a dance but a red-carpet event.
Octavia Tsibes
Every year grade 12s go out of their way to look better than their peers, and now matric dances are no longer what they were. Over the years matric farewells have changed, from being a last dance to a flashy red-carpet event where learners make entrances with expensive cars and dresses and suits worth thousands of dollars.
“When I was in matric I wore my sister’s dress and ordinary shoes,” says 42-year-old Alexa Cloete, mother of a matriculant. She further says that over the years, seeing how matric farewells have changed, “I was worried for my daughter’s matric farewell, not because I don’t have money, but for the pressure she will go through at school when her peers talk about their dresses,” she adds.
Cloete admits that N$1 000 is not enough as that only covers for the learner to be able to attend the matric dance. The schools requires the learners to pay to attend the dance, and the money, she believes, is used to pay for the venue and caterers.
Matric farewell experience
“High school is fun, one of the big days all grade 12s look forward to is the matric dance,” says Madeline Gases, a 2017 matriculant. Gases further says that there is pressure on the girls because that is all they talk about especially this time of the year. “Parents should plan for their children’s matric farewells and not compare it to their years, they should look into saving options, for example at Nampost,” she says.
Madeline stresses that parents are not in this alone. “Grade 12s should not be influenced, they should understand what their parents can afford, not forgetting that there are still tuition fees to follow after they obtain their grade 12.
Every year grade 12s go out of their way to look better than their peers, and now matric dances are no longer what they were. Over the years matric farewells have changed, from being a last dance to a flashy red-carpet event where learners make entrances with expensive cars and dresses and suits worth thousands of dollars.
“When I was in matric I wore my sister’s dress and ordinary shoes,” says 42-year-old Alexa Cloete, mother of a matriculant. She further says that over the years, seeing how matric farewells have changed, “I was worried for my daughter’s matric farewell, not because I don’t have money, but for the pressure she will go through at school when her peers talk about their dresses,” she adds.
Cloete admits that N$1 000 is not enough as that only covers for the learner to be able to attend the matric dance. The schools requires the learners to pay to attend the dance, and the money, she believes, is used to pay for the venue and caterers.
Matric farewell experience
“High school is fun, one of the big days all grade 12s look forward to is the matric dance,” says Madeline Gases, a 2017 matriculant. Gases further says that there is pressure on the girls because that is all they talk about especially this time of the year. “Parents should plan for their children’s matric farewells and not compare it to their years, they should look into saving options, for example at Nampost,” she says.
Madeline stresses that parents are not in this alone. “Grade 12s should not be influenced, they should understand what their parents can afford, not forgetting that there are still tuition fees to follow after they obtain their grade 12.
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