“Never Give Up, Never What?”: Mzansi Inspired by 36-Year-Old Woman Finishing 2nd Matric Year

• A determined South African woman sparked hope across TikTok after sharing her journey of continuing with the last three remaining subjects to complete matric
• TikTok creator @tonithestudent posted an inspiring video revealing she was a 35-year-old matric student in 2024 and will continue her educational journey at 36 in 2025
• Her story highlights the growing concern of school dropouts in SA, where stats show nearly 9% of 17-year-olds left school with money troubles and poor performance being major factors

Content creator @tonithestudent took to TikTok to share her determination to complete her matric certificate, despite being older than the typical high school student. In her viral video, she confidently stated:

"Never give up, never what?" while revealing her continued pursuit of education from age 35 to 36.

This year, she's tackling Business, Maths Lit and History, showing her commitment to completing her secondary education despite the challenges.

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SA's education challenges

According to recent statistics, South Africa faces significant challenges with school dropouts. In 2021, nearly 9% of 17-year-olds dropped out of school, with almost three out of 10 pupils aged 18 years (29.3%) and four out of nine (46.3%) of 19-year-olds leaving school early.

The main reasons included illness and disability (22.7%), poor academic performance (21.2%), and lack of money for fees (19.6%).

These numbers show why stories like @tonithestudent's are so important, as she highlights that returning to education is possible at any age.

Mzansi showers student with support

The inspiring video touched many hearts, with fellow mature students and supporters flooding the comments section:

@brittyx_o gushed:

"As a 27 year old matric student myself, I salute you 🔥🔥🔥 keep up that great work!"

Lizz shared:

"Don't give up, at age 41, I wrote one of my matric subjects over, and scored 73%, At 43 Stellenbosch university 2025💃🏻"

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@ATMwamwenda asked:

"Which subjects are you studying this year?"

@ToniTheStudent📕 replied:

"This year I'll be doing Business, Maths Lit and History."

@angybaby related:

"I'm 30 and doing my 2nd year this year. We got this babe 💪🏽😇"

Thabang Tseboho encouraged:

"Never back down!!!"

@babes cheered:

"You go girl! I am just a stranger that is so proud of you."

Similar inspiring education stories

• A Stellenbosch University student triumphed over two heart surgeries and debt to graduate with his BSc in physiotherapy.
• A woman's emotional SAICA certificate unboxing went viral as she celebrated her achievement.
• Briefly News highlighted remarkable single mothers balancing family responsibilities while pursuing education and running businesses.

Source: Briefly News