Classroom desks are arranged in a way to encourage social distancing. Picture: African News Agency(ANA)
There are many ways in which schools around the world have coped with Covid-19.
In Sri Lanka, students have not been in school for the past 15 months. In China, at the beginning of 2020 many schools were closed. In the US, many schools periodically had the be closed.
The same in Asia and Africa. A very small percentage of the world’s population has died of the disease. But one death is one too many.
In South Africa Covid-19 has shown what an unequal country we are. Most parents in the country have to work to fork out a living. The government has decided to send students at all primary schools to school this term. High schools continue to send students in a staggered manner.
Now schools have adopted various ways in which work is given to students. The private and model C schools can accommodate all their students now that a physical distance of 1 metre between students has been promulgated into law.
This can’t be done in the schools of the poor. The primary schools have to write to the WCED if primary school students can't be accommodated in one classroom. There is talk of the government seeking permission from the Covid-19 command council to have it reduced to 0.5m.
In the early days of the pandemic where a distance of 1.5m had to be kept between students, the schools of the rich could make use of various internet programs to tutor their students. Due to a lack of funding, schools of the poor were unable to do this.
The teachers in the majority of schools do not have the monetary resources to communicate with their students using the various technical programmes available.
However as the teachers in poorly resourced schools have done for centuries in South Africa, was to devise ways in which to physically get the school work to students.
Visit these schools and you can see how teachers are sitting at certain times in front of their classrooms, near the school gate or in their halls (if the school is fortunate to have one) handing out packets of work to parents or students who are old enough to collect their work.
In the high schools of the poor, teachers encourage students to work together in the areas they stay, to get together physically to assist one another in sticking to the necessary Covid-19 protocols.
Where students of the poor can obtain internet access, the teachers must use this to assist students. Especially in the schools of the poor, parents are anxious that their children should not be left behind and will go out of their way to assist their children.
Yes, there are many dysfunctional homes where students find it difficult to work at home. Here teachers must devise ways to help these students from these dysfunctional situations.
Teachers who are teaching at schools nearby are getting together to exchange ideas as to how they can assist one another during this Covid period.
The late Neville Alexander always promoted the idea that teachers should get together in groups to discuss their subjects as well as progressive ideas they wish to follow in education.
I have found by opening oneself to what is happening at schools concerning the virus one gets a better insight into schools.
I have spoken to the staff of a special school in the Athlone area and asked myself the question why as a teacher was I not involved with special schools that are there to assist our children with special learning needs. I realised how much I had lost out.
Teachers have a wonderful role to play in our society. Our country depends on teachers who see to the needs of all our children. I thank our teachers especially at this time as they take our children through the Covid-19 crisis.
* Brian Isaacs obtained a BSc (UWC) in 1975, a Secondary Teacher’s Diploma in 1976, BEd (UWC) in 1981, and MEd (UWC) in 1992. He is a former matriculant, teacher and principal at South Peninsula High School.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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