Schooling needs a new approach

Many parents and some education commentators have expressed their concerns about the government’s plans for the reopening of schools, albeit with a staggered approach.

I have received many calls from parents who are worried and are voicing their reservations.

While there is an urgent need to see schools opening up progressively following their closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will be necessary to review learning and teaching. School managers, teachers, parents and the school governing bodies (SGBs) will have to collectively develop monitoring systems and implement a more far-seeing approach to education. As President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned in his recent speech, moving down to Level 3 does not mean the virus is “gone”.

The reopening of schools and learning and teaching during the “war against the unseen enemy” and in the absence of a vaccine, definitely requires new approaches and methods. Anxiety, depression, absenteeism, chosen self-isolation due to chronic ailments, or parents keeping their children at home will be realities that schools will have to learn to manage and cope with.

To this end, I support the view of a “blended education”, or hybrid model. Teachers need to find suitable and user-friendly solutions to balance learning between the school environment and remote learning as, chances are, that Zoom and other live video platforms will continue to play an important role. Mohamed Saeed