Activists urge caution as “Pens Down” season looms

As the Class of 2025 prepares to write its final matric papers, education activists are urging learners to celebrate responsibly, cautioning that “pens down” festivities often come with serious safety risks.

More than 900,000 candidates have sat for the National Senior Certificate exams over the past six weeks, and excitement is mounting as this year’s matric class prepares to write its final paper on Thursday.

But the festivities that follow have long been linked with unregulated gatherings, risky behaviour and, in some cases, tragedy, most notably the 2022 Enyobeni Tavern incident in Scenery Park, where 21 teens lost their lives.

The 25th of June remains a day of grief for the affected families, whose children, aged between 13 and 17, never made it home.

Education and gender-based violence activist, Dimakatso Mamello, says it is essential to have honest conversations about these celebrations, which have become an entrenched end-of-year tradition.

She stresses that discipline begins at home, adding that teachers cannot be expected to act as security guards, but rather as enforcers of school rules.

Mamello says parents must take the lead in guiding their children on responsible behaviour during the post-exam period.

“I think we need to acknowledge that discipline starts at home. Teachers are not security,” she added.

While schools regularly run awareness campaigns on bullying, alcohol, drugs and other risks, Mamello says learners must also be taught about the dangers of GBV, rape and harassment — especially as the country marks the 16 Days of Activism.

“So we’re considering things like your GBV, there’s rape, there’s harassment, et cetera, that learners need to be aware of as they embark on this tradition, right? And I think it also goes down to who allows learners to host these traditional pens down because now they automatically become the custodian and the responsible party for the learners’ activity during that time, and should anything happen, they are in fact the ones to be held accountable for the learners,” she said.

Education expert, Hendrick Makaneta, shares similar concerns, saying the aim is not to cancel pens-down celebrations altogether, but to reshape them into safer, supervised events through collaboration between parents, teachers and learners.

“There must be that collaboration so that our young people can feel supported rather than restricted,” he added.

Both activists agree that open communication and shared responsibility are key to ensuring that matriculants can celebrate their achievements without putting themselves at risk.

#NoPensDown| Pens down gatherings can get out of control quickly when there’s no planning or adult supervision. Without careful oversight, hazards increase, including unsafe drinking, fights, destruction of property, and serious personal risks. #EducationZA #PensDownSafeUp… pic.twitter.com/fX2H6pKnVL

— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) November 24, 2025