Infrastructure backlogs and inequality too big a hurdle
Infrastructure problems and inequality in the Eastern Cape will hamper efforts by the department of education to save the school year.
Before attempting to rush through the curriculum for the remainder of the year, traumatised teachers and pupils must first spend time mentally preparing for learning in the midst of a global pandemic.
These were among the views of educational experts participating in The Herald and Nelson Mandela University Community Dialogue yesterday.
The participants in the virtual session included education professor Jonathan Jansen, Equal Education head in the province Athenkosi Sopitshi, NMU director for the school of community Dr Bruce Damons and The Herald 2019 Matric of the Year winner Sachin Naidoo, who discussed the topic “Back to School — Can the school year be saved?”
Eastern Cape education department superintendent-general Themba Kojana also participated in the panel discussion, which was facilitated by political lecturer and analyst Ongama Mtimka.
Jansen asked how the department of education planned to deliver the necessary equipment to teachers and pupils when it had failed to eradicate pit toilets in the province.
“Systemically, the Eastern Cape is a disaster, one of the most unequal provinces in SA.
“It’s politically mismanaged. “Ask yourself why a school like Gelvan Park Primary wrote a letter from its school governing body telling pupils not to come back, they’re not ready.
“Gelvan Park Primary is not some school in deep rural Eastern Cape.
“Go to Katanga [Helenvale] and tell me they are ready to reopen.
“We must stop bulls **** ing each other and talk about the realities on the ground for our children.
“It’s year 26 of democracy and there are 3,000 schools using pit toilets [in the Eastern Cape].
“You can’t fix pit toilets but you want to have 10 preconditions before coming back to school — give me a break,”
Jansen said. Speaking of infrastructure challenges in rural areas, Sopitshi said should one pupil be infected with coronavirus at a school, that pupil would have to either walk or catch a taxi to the next town to access a clinic.
Sopitshi said when debating whether schools were ready to open, it seemed those pupils solely dependent on the system were not being taken into account.
“Black working-class children are the ones who will bear the brunt of an ineffective system.”
Sopitshi asked what the point of giving pupils tablets with data was when the majority of the rural Eastern Cape had connectivity problems.
“When I’m in most parts of the rural areas I don’t have any connectivity. Has that been taken into account?” she asked.
Damons said consensus among stakeholders was that it could no longer be business as usual.
“Decisions around education can’t be placed on politicians.
“A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work.”
Damons said it was impossible to save the 2020 academic year.
“We should place people above systems
He questioned if teachers and principals had been given enough time to return to work.
“Even before Covid-19, we’ve been struggling with the quality of teaching and learning.
“Educators need to be given more time to prep,” he said.
Naidoo said it was important for those in the decisionmaking seats to ask pupils what they wanted.
“A lot of them want to go back to school, but this might be more about returning to some sort of normalcy as there is a lot of anxiety right now.
“Clarity is needed,” Naidoo said.