I knew matric would be emotionally demanding. I expected the stress of prelims and finals, the uncertainty about what comes next, and that strange feeling that twelve years of school were suddenly coming to an end.
I thought I should be worrying so long about the costs of tertiary education. What I didn’t expect was how often matric would ask me to open my wallet.
That matric is seldom one enormous expense, I soon realised. It’s the extra lessons, revision courses, study material, the steady stream of “last ever” school events, the matric dance, an 18th birthday, driving lessons (and extra insurance for a younger driver) and the matric holiday. Plus applying at more than one tertiary institution. Each expense sounds perfectly reasonable on its own. Together, they form an onslaught on your bank account.
The pictures of matric dance outfits tell their own story, the arrivals, the professional photographers.
Let’s focus on learning to drive. Published prices in Gauteng range from R300 to R500 for a one-hour lesson, with ten-lesson packages costing R2 800 to R5 000. Once learner’s and driving licence costs, test-day vehicle hire, additional lessons and possibly another test attempt are included, families may need to plan for R3 500 to R8 000. And a car? Let’s not go there for now.
And what if your child begs for the Plett Rage after the final exams? A realistic total can quickly reach R9 000 or much wilder price tickets. It’s remarkable how expensive it can be for your child to recover from an education you also paid for.
There’s no single yearly figure for what matric costs because schools, families and expectations differ. But an illustrative calculation shows how quickly the year can run away with you:
| Expense | More modest plan | More expensive plan |
|---|---|---|
| School fees* | R57 000 – R60 000 | R120 000 – R200 000 |
| Academic support and material | R3 000 – R8 000 | R10 000 – R25 000+ |
| School events, photographs and extras | R1 500 – R4 000 | R5 000 – R10 000 |
| Matric dance | R4 500 – R8 000 | R10 000 – R20 000+ |
| 18th birthday party | R3 000 – R7 500 | R10 000 – R20 000+ |
| Learner’s and driving licence | R3 500 – R5 000 | R6 000 – R8 000 |
| Matric holiday | R9 000 – R14 000 | R16 000 – R25 000+ |
| University applications and other forgotten costs | R1 000 – R3 000 | R3 000 – R6 000+ |
| Approximate total for the year | R82 500 – R109 500 | R180 000 – R314 000+ |
