Rotational learning unsustainable, admits Motshekga
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the department has requested that social distancing across the country’s classrooms be reduced.
This forms part of the department’s aim to have all pupils back in the classroom on a full-time basis.
Motshekga was speaking at the opening of the annual Education Lekgotla in Kempton Park on Wednesday.
“As government we are mulling over options to mitigate against losing contact time again in 2022, but also reclaim the losses that we have suffered in the past. We have recommended to the National Coronavirus Command Council to reduce the social distancing numbers in our classrooms because we would like to have all learners back at school.
“The current situation is completely unsustainable. The idea is to have all learners receiving contact time at the same time to mitigate against dropouts, increase retention rates and prevent failures.”
According to Motshekga, research indicates that the Department has lost approximately 50% of curriculum time as a result of rotational learning.
“I do hope that some of our partners who have done research on this area will be able to emphasise this point.”
In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic brought a halt to learning in most schools across the country.
Some schools were able to adapt to online learning while others were left behind.
It’s been further estimated that over 700 000 school learners have dropped out of school as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) believes that the call for learners to go back to school is the correct one.
The union’s Basil Manuel says there are concerns over overcrowded classrooms.
“There are concerns particularly in these overcrowded schools. Even if we reduce the social distance there are so badly overcrowded. So we need to talk about the problem areas and these are the poorer black schools.
“And those are the children who have been disadvantaged all along. We don’t want to just accept that it’s okay. We want the children back at school we are supporting the call but there are issues that we must clarify.”
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