Sowetan has started a campaign on its front pages reminding all of us of the number of days before the matric exams. We do this not because we want to scare our young people in what is their most important class of their school careers.

Sowetan has started a campaign on its front pages reminding all of us of the number of days before the matric exams. We do this not because we want to scare our young people in what is their most important class of their school careers.

The message is rather meant for all of us: pupils, parents, teachers and siblings to start doing what needs to be done when we still have some time.

Too often, we start taking stock of the challenges that affect how our matriculants fare, after they have written and received their results.

Time is always a relative concept. The 52 days we today say our matriculants have before their big day may appear too far or unbelievably close depending on how pupils have been doing with their year.

Regardless of where each learner stands with regard to the timeline, it is no time to despair or become complacent.