Are matric farewells worth it?

Jamie-Lee Loss and Michelline Nawatises
The matric farewell, a final formal event for grade 12 students, is frequently followed by parties, drinking, and, in some cases, poor choices. Every school typically hosts a dance, and students attend with a date and a dress to impress.

For a variety of reasons, not all students attend. The reasons include financial constraints due to the high cost of matric farewells and the personal beliefs of some learners and parents that they are a waste of time and money.

Money better spent

Even though matric farewells are an occasion for students to relax and have fun, the event can be extremely expensive because of the costs associated with hair, beautiful clothes, flashy cars, photo shoots, and make-up for the girls, amongst many other things.

"I don’t think the matric farewell was worth it. The money spent was unnecessary and could’ve been used for something else," said Charisse Davids, a former matriculate.

She added that even though she attended her matric farewell, she spent a lot of money on the one-day event.

Davids now believes the money could have been better spent to give matric students one last chance to bond by doing something else for a week or weekend.

Rohlisang Ramakuthla believes matric farewells are not worthwhile and that the experience is frequently a disappointment for students.

She said she does not feel she missed out on anything despite never having attended a matric farewell.

New chapter

On the other hand, others believe a matric farewell is worthwhile since it provides an opportunity to celebrate the educational journey and achievements throughout primary and secondary school.

Delicia van Wyk, a former matriculate, believes that a matric farewell is worth it.

"The experience is incredible and a wonderful way to honour all of your hard work and to end your high school career," said Van Wyk.

She said celebrating the end of high school with friends was one of the best occasions as it signified what had been learned and the progress achieved along the way.

She emphasised the challenges that Covid-19 created for her grade 12 group during their matric year.

She thinks the matric farewell was a wonderful way to close off the year and that it signified the end of one season and the beginning of another.

Another former matriculate, Jayna Madzore, said: "I do think it was worth it. It's always such a nice experience to dress up, look good and have memories,"

She said, aside from the dressing-up, the matric farewell demonstrated how far the matriculates had progressed and that it was somewhat like closing one chapter and beginning another.

Overall, matric dances serve as a celebration of all the high school experiences one has had and a way to bid your former classmates farewell. But not everyone agrees that it is worthwhile to go to the trouble of planning or attending the matric farewell.

The excitement of preparing

The cost of attending a matric farewell is usually much higher for girls than for boys. To start, girls have to scout for the best designers in town and make appointments for fittings.

To break down the costs, we will briefly look at the costs for both genders when preparing for a matric farewell. These prices below give you a rough idea of the amount you might spend when preparing for a matric farewell.

Keep in mind that the following prices range from the lowest.

Girls

The most common look for make-up is a natural look. This look is not dramatic and blends in well with any design and colour of the dress. Make-up artists such as Creations By Chloe offer nail and make-up combo packages occasionally. This in itself already assists with cost-cutting.



• Dress - N$1 500

• Make-up - N$250

• Nails - N$300

• Hair (brazillians) - N$2 000

• Hairstyle - N$300

• Shoes – N$350

• Accessories (necklace, watch, earrings) - N$2 000

• Photoshoot - N$1 000

The total amounts to N$7 700

Boys

• Suit – N$1 500

• Shoes – N$600

• Haircut – N$100

• Accessories (watch and necklace) - N$1 500

• Photoshoot - N$1 000

The total amount to N$4 700.

It is now up to you to make the choice of attending the matric dance. For those that will be attending the matric farewell, enjoy responsibly.

Kommentaar

Republikein 2024-11-23

Geen kommentaar is op hierdie artikel gelaat nie

Meld asseblief aan om kommentaar te lewer

Katima Mulilo: 20° | 36° Rundu: 20° | 37° Eenhana: 22° | 36° Oshakati: 25° | 35° Ruacana: 22° | 36° Tsumeb: 23° | 36° Otjiwarongo: 22° | 35° Omaruru: 23° | 36° Windhoek: 23° | 34° Gobabis: 23° | 35° Henties Bay: 14° | 19° Swakopmund: 14° | 16° Walvis Bay: 13° | 20° Rehoboth: 23° | 35° Mariental: 24° | 38° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 39° Aranos: 28° | 38° Lüderitz: 13° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 40° Oranjemund: 13° | 21° Luanda: 25° | 26° Gaborone: 22° | 36° Lubumbashi: 17° | 32° Mbabane: 18° | 31° Maseru: 16° | 32° Antananarivo: 17° | 31° Lilongwe: 22° | 33° Maputo: 23° | 31° Windhoek: 23° | 34° Cape Town: 17° | 27° Durban: 20° | 25° Johannesburg: 19° | 31° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 22° | 33° Harare: 21° | 31° #REF! #REF!