As South Africa's 2025 matric class prepares to begin their final exams, psychologists have urged parents and caregivers to be sensitive to the pressures learners face during this period. This comes as the United Nations' South African office pointed to systemic challenges in the country's education which threaten some matriculants' readiness for this milestone. It UNICEF has cited education inequality and socio-economic conditions as some of the obstacles facing some of the more than one-million candidates taking the assessments across three assessment bodies. Education quality watchdog, Umalusi, has given the green light for the exams beginning next week. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Basic Education Programme Coordinator at the NorthWest University, Dr Judicial Sebatana