Lockdowns shut out 900 000 learners from schools

Closure of schools during lockdowns precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic has affected about 900 000 learners from both private and public primary and secondary schools in Botswana.

According to UNICEF Country Representative, Dr Joan Matji even after the lockdowns have been lifted, some learners are still finding it difficult to go back to school.

Dr Matji said in a webinar themed ‘Education in the times of Covid-19’, that it is important to keep the schools open because disruption to instructional time can have severe impacts on children’s ability to learn.

“Learning becomes even more difficult for the marginalised children, because the longer they stay out of school, the more the likely they might not return to school,” she said, adding that the longer children are out of school also presents chances of all types of abuse.

UNICEF recently launched a digital learning toolkit to help education stakeholders to develop ICT for e-learning and edutech solutions for times such as of Covid-19 to ensure that in the event of lockdowns, all learners continue to access quality education. Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Nnaniki Makwinja said in the webinar that was hosted by Young Love in partnership with the Ministry of Basic Education and UNICEF that the Ministry has taken away important lessons from the pandemic.

Among them, they have taken a stance to maintain smaller classes of an average of 30 as has always been the intent since 1994, and they don’t anticipate to go back. “We have taken long to implement this though it has always been the intent, but Covid-19 has caused us to realise that we can no longer delay this,” Makwanja said.

The Ministry has also realised the need to increase and expand school facilities to restore contact time that has been reduced from 40 minutes to 30 minutes per lesson.

“Expanded school facilities will also mean that there will be no need to continue with the shift system that is currently being used in our schools,” Makwinja said.

According to Makwinja, the Ministry also intends to expedite e-learning and ICT integration. She however acknowledged that Internet connectivity remains the number one challenge to online or e-learning in Botswana, as well as access to gadgets.

Vice Chairman of Conference of Heads of Private Schools in Botswana (CHOPS) Botswana, Andrew Jones on the other hand said that online learning is new to most schools and parents in Botswana and therefore poses challenges of access to devices like smart phone, laptops as well as access to reliable internet.

He added that online learning presents parents with a dilemma to suddenly let their children use the internet that is also notorious for presenting some danger to minors.

“Parents of adolescents are especially anxious to allow their children on the internet,” Jones said.

He added that what is important is for parents now to closely monitor their children to ensure correct use of the internet. In addition, online learning, according to Jones, has enhanced communication between schools and parents, as it is easier to send letters, emails and even texts and WhatsApp messages.He acknowledged that though some schools especially private schools had already started the culture of communication with parents and guardians through online platforms, it has been embraced more even by public schools.

What is most critical according to Jones is that schools, parents and learners need to acknowledge that e-learning or online learning has become part of learning and is here to stay.

While he celebrates the fact that about 90 percent of learners have access to both internet and devices, he regrettably acknowledged that there is still the 10 percent that is lagging behind.

His concern is that in most cases, those that constitute the 10 percent that has no access to internet and devices are often the ones that struggle and are vulnerable and if not paid attention to could be left further behind. Motshwari Mabote from the Counseling Department of the University of Botswana stressed the need for psychosocial support during this time.

Mabote, who has been actively involved in providing psychosocial support for learners since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country observed that there has been a lot of fear and anxiety from learners that they have interacted with. “Learners are experiencing challenges and it is critical to offer psychosocial support for them to be able to cope,” Mabote said, adding that most are fearful of academic failure more than contracting Covid-19.

She worried about the inability of parents to assist learners during this time. Mabote said parents need to be educated on how to take an active part in their children’s education.

“Parents should also model appropriate behaviours during this time,” Mabote said. She urged the Ministry of Basic Education to step up and speed up connectivity in schools and in e-learning especially in rural Botswana.

She appealed to the Ministry to strengthen Guidance and Counseling departments in schools and ensure that schools have full time counselors that will focus on providing learners with the attention they need on a daily basis.

She also acknowledged that teachers are also vulnerable and overwhelmed at this time and need support.