Students not spared from effects of Covid-19
STUDENTS have not been spared from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic which has seen a change in the learning system and adjustment of school calendar which has brought strain on learners.
Due to the pandemic school holidays have been prolonged, leaving learners with limited time to have face-to-face lessons with their teachers. Schools are now relying more on virtual lessons in order to reduce interaction between learners and teachers in a bid to curb the spread of the pandemic.
A Form Six pupil at Luveve High School in Bulawayo, Miss Caroline Moyo (18) said 2020 was a very bad year for her academically as they had limited learning time yet she had to move to the next level this year.
“You will recall that schools closed early in March last year instead of April and we only went back to school in October and closed in December. We lost out on a lot of valuable learning time and it was never recovered. At the end of the year we were expected to move to the next level even without being afforded adequate learning time.
“This year has been no different because schools have delayed opening because of the pandemic. In fact, schools were supposed to open in January but they opened in March. Schools closed on June 4 and they were set to be opened on 28 June but reopening has been postponed because of the pandemic. We don’t know how long this will drag on and when we will be able to resume face-to-face lessons. When we opened this year, we were trying to recover the time which was lost last year and also cover this year’s syllabus but this is no longer possible,” she said.
Miss Moyo said teachers were trying to conduct lessons through WhatsApp but it was not as effective as face-to-face lessons and what made it worse was that the learning time was limited. She said she was taking up extra lessons in order to cover as much ground as possible but she could only attend a few of them because of financial challenges.
“Come end of the year I will be expected to sit for my final examinations but I’m not sure how I will manage given all these hurdles. All these disruptions are taking a toll on us as students,” she said.
Mr Mthandazo Dube who is a final year student at the University of Zimbabwe studying Food Science and Technology said learning has become very difficult because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said his final examinations were supposed to have commenced on 12 July but they had been postponed.
Mr Dube said if it were not for the Covid-19induced pandemic, he should have finished his studies by now.
“I should have completed my studies in June but because of this Covid-19 pandemic I am yet to sit for my final examinations. I do not know when we are likely to sit for the exams as this depends on the situation.
The delay is really frustrating but there is nothing we can do but just wait,” he said.
Mr Dube said they were learning online and lecturers were mainly using WhatsApp as it is the cheapest and most affordable alternative.
“This is however, a challenge because on this platform lecturers are mainly sharing learning material and we have to study on our own, we can’t even meet as classmates to discuss the topics because of the pandemic. Zoom is a better platform as it’s ideal for lengthy discussions but the challenge is that as students we can’t afford the data,” he said.
Mr Dube said he preferred face-to-face lectures as they were interactive and students could have the opportunity to discuss and share notes.
He said during this semester they only had physical lectures for three weeks and during that period lecturers tried to cover as much ground as possible which brought pressure on students.
Mr Dube said examinations were usually written over three weeks but they had now been compressed to two weeks.
“The inconsistency in our learning calendars is frustrating and causes anxiety. It’s also demotivating to a certain extent. Now we have to prepare for examinations which we don’t even know when we will write,” he said.
Another student from the University of Zimbabwe, Mr Praise Hadebe who is a secondyear student studying Plant Breeding and Bio Technology said their lessons had now been congested because of the Covid-19-induced lockdown. He said they were now attending lessons from 8AM to 6PM in order to recover lost time.
Mr Hadebe said lectures were now hurried through as lecturers were focusing on completing the syllabus. He said his degree programme required them to do practicals but they could not do so.
“There are some degree programmes which require a lot of practicals like mine. It’s difficult to have these practicals if we are having online lectures. Our learning is now mainly theory more than practicals. We now go to Youtube to see some of the practicals but with limited data it’s difficult and practicals require one to be hands-on and work along.
“When we leave university and join the industry, we will be graduates that are equipped with theory but lacking practical skills. This pandemic has really affected us in a big way,” he said. — @DubeMatutu