Compromising approach way to go

I RESPOND to three correspondents in your June 4 edition.

Chrissie Virasamy: Having been a teacher, I agree with you that there is nothing better than personal interaction between teacher and pupil. Most certainly it is very rewarding. I can sense your passion for teaching.

Rajesh Budram: Details of my proposal could not be captured in a letter to the editor.

Urvashi Keshav: Your comments are appreciated.

In my original letter I stated that there were two opposing views, one by the minister and the other by the unions. Parents, pupils and teachers are in a quandary: Should schools reopen or not? My suggestion is: it cannot become a policy. Final decisions lie elsewhere.

Quoting from my original letter, I stated: “We should not abandon the academic years ahead, but rather adopt a compromising approach. Don’t allow the powers that be to destroy the lives of our children. Online teaching is a viable alternative.”

I am not suggesting that this is a permanent solution. There is

speculation that the coronavirus may not be gone even by the end of next year. Scientists throughout the world are in agreement with that.

We have to save the academic years ahead until we have control over this deadly virus. My suggestion of online teaching is one view, Professor Sewlall’s is another and there will be many others.

To exemplify my suggestion, I urge the Department of Education to provide, free of charge, the necessary tools to all pupils for online teaching to work. I repeat: all pupils, without exception, throughout South Africa.

For many years taxpayers’ money has been stolen by many in government as if it is their God-given right. To get the money to equip teachers and pupils to perform their work, we could ask all government officials and elected personnel to stop corruption and stop squandering our money.

As a result, we will have billions for our learners and teachers so that they can perform their tasks from their homes in the interim.

And we should fast-track pending cases where billions of rand have been stolen or misappropriated by politicians and government officials.

We live in hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

KAMAL PANDAY | Reservoir Hills