Help the most vulnerable pupils, says expert as govt delays reopening of schools
Education expert Mary Metcalfe believes additional support must be given to the most vulnerable pupils as the reopening of schools is setback again.
It will be at least a month before pupils are expected back in the classroom.
Metcalf believes the ripple effects of the covid-19 pandemic on education will be felt for years to come – more so for pupils without the necessary support.
Government announced a two-week delay to the reopening of schools that was set for 27 January.
“Implications for teaching and learning that arise from loss of time will need to be adjusted for over years, and not only in 2021 but going at least into 2022.”
Metcalfe says pupils in rural areas must be supported when schools reopen on 15 February.
“Education in South Africa takes place in hugely unequal context. Those inequalities relate to both rurality and urban context as well as poverty that is both urban and rural.
“Learners who come from homes and communities which do not enjoy the benefits of wealthier families, require more support and that is why for schools to be opened is to be an advantage of the poor, firstly, because they are able to benefit from school feeding, secondly, they are able to benefit from the structured programmes of learning that happens in schools.
“So, the challenges of catching up in the country affects all learners but our priority learners are the most vulnerable.”
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