WITH only a day gone by for the 2009 matric examinations pupils from various schools in Limpopo have already predicted a bleak future.

WITH only a day gone by for the 2009 matric examinations pupils from various schools in Limpopo have already predicted a bleak future.

The pupils, mainly from African schools, said yesterday that passing matric with flying colours did not guarantee a better future.

Nkele Ramatsoma of Boke High School in Bolobedu said she was hopeful that she would pass her matric with flying colours this year.

But she said her family was still trying to raise money for her to be able to enroll at a tertiary institution next year.

She said if her parents failed to secure money she would be forced to start looking for a job in Tzaneen and Polokwane.

"But finding a job nowadays is not a walk in the park. It takes some doing because many people have qualifications but they still roam the streets with thick brown envelopes looking for a job," she said.

Mariam Makhobatlou of the Masalanabo High school said she had already applied to study at the University of Limpopo's Turfloop Campus.

But Makhobatlou's parents had told her that if she failed she would have to start looking for a job in Pretoria.

"This means I will be on my own in the dog eats dog job market and I know that it is not easy to find a job," Makhobatlou said.

Pupils at about 35 schools in Limpopo sat for their first 2009 examination paper, electrical technology, yesterday.