When Covid-19 hit the world in 2020, we knew that its impact on the education system would be enormous. Worldwide more than 623 million cases were reported and more than 12.7 billion doses of vaccine administered. It could, however, not prevent 6.5 million from dying.

At the time of writing, more than four million South Africans had caught the disease, with nearly 102,000 deaths. Medical care for Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 alone cost medical aid funds R14.6-billion. This is three times more than normal expenditure.

Everybody knew that our education was in trouble – long before the Covid pandemic hit South Africa. Then the struggling education system was plunged overnight into its greatest crisis yet. Problems with which teachers and schools have been struggling for decades, and to which no attention had been given, were pushed into the foreground overnight.

No alternative

It was Winston Churchill who said “never let a good crisis go to waste”. One of the plus points of Covid was that the South African government had no alternative but to act immediately and give attention to challenges such as pit latrines, lack of running water, the lack of classroom space, libraries, laboratories and sportsgrounds and the shortage of trained teachers.

The pandemic forced teachers across South Africa to think outside the box and act innovatively. Because by focusing only on the dangers of the crisis we run the risk of missing the opportunities offered by the crisis. Allow me to point out a few opportunities which came to the fore during the pandemic and from which the education system will benefit forever.

Opportunities

It is common knowledge that South African schools are too full. The pandemic emphasised the lack of sufficient classroom space for physical distancing and even though the pandemic has abated for now, this does not mean that the problem is something of the past. 

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When I recently visited schools in my area to evaluate students, I saw first-hand that as many as 60 learners had been forced into one classroom.

Yet during the pandemic we learnt that children do not have to be in school physically every day. With the aid of (excessively expensive) technology they can have online classes on alternate days which will create the needed space for smaller classes.

I remember from my childhood how we housed two schools in one building. School A had classes from 8am to 1pm, whereafter School B came in while the children of School A practised sport and culture. It may sound like a step back into the past, but keep in mind that South Africa is basically bankrupt and in the foreseeable future will not be able to build enough schools for all its children.

Routine

It remains a mystery why 700,000 children must daily walk 5km to school just to walk all the way back at 1pm! If children do pitch up for school, it is our duty to make it worthwhile for them. Let them go to class until 1pm, but give them a long break so that the feeding scheme can kick in and provide them with a proper meal.

From 2pm our teachers ought to spend time with the children on the sports fields or in cultural activities. As a school principal I followed this routine – with good results. Both the school’s academic and sports achievements improved remarkably.

The same principle also applied to addressing the lack of sports facilities and laboratories. About 10,000 schools have no sports facilities and no money to develop them. New legislation now makes provision that learners will have access to sports facilities free of charge.

If some learners are not at school every day, it creates opportunities for others to use the facilities; obviously with the responsibility to care for them. After all, this is part of the education process.

Trained teachers

The lack of trained teachers remains a substantial problem, as Covid has revealed. As circuit manager of Stellenbosch, I observed that three model C schools shared one teacher for French. The timetable was adapted so that they all gathered at one point for their regular class.

Many learners in poor schools no longer take mathematics as a subject because the school does not have a trained teacher. In the same way, three schools could appoint a good maths teacher to rotate between the schools.

On day one the teacher can give the learners an online class. On days two, three and four the schools are visited separately for individual attention. Day five can be an online class again, where good class practices observed by the teacher during the week are shared with the other schools.

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During the pandemic everyone came to realise that we do not all have to sit in the same room to hold meetings. When I was still working for the government, it always bothered me that education officials waste litres and litres of fuel by driving to meetings each in a separate car. Thanks to Covid we were forced to meet via technology (like Google Meet).

At Stellenbosch University we recently held a senate meeting with the rector leading the meeting from Germany. Not only do we save fuel, but this also leads to better attendance figures.

Laboratories and libraries

About 20,000 schools in South Africa do not have a laboratory. How do we expect learners in those communities to cope with subjects like physical science? The same principles can apply here where the teacher with a laboratory can use it as a base. Learners from the other schools can receive their lessons at the base school on a rotation basis.

For the past few years, I have been involved with a project where chemistry is offered by one of our lecturers, Dr Rehana Malgas, in her laboratory at the university. Die Stigting vir Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans (Foundation for Empowerment through Afrikaans, SBA) made all the logistical arrangements. Hundreds of teachers and thousands of learners were assisted in this way – by one lecturer! Her recent death while she was in Germany to study, is a tragedy.

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It is nearly unthinkable that 1,800 South African schools do not have a library. No wonder our literacy levels are among the lowest in the world. During Covid more and more universities and schools used online libraries where students get free access to electronic sources. It takes place on a rotation basis so that more schools can use the opportunity.

The ATKV’s book trunks and the SBA’s Zoë reading project reach many schools in remote areas with libraries on wheels. Principals must go to the trouble of finding out how their schools can benefit.

Seize the moment

We have long suspected that there are great inequities in the South African education system. The pandemic has confirmed this. But as I have pointed out above, the challenges have also created opportunities which – if we seize them – can irrevocably change the education landscape.

Maybe we are not supposed to return to the old normal. Maybe Covid-19 was the Creator’s way of telling us that we must leave our bedevilled and unequal past behind and move on to a true new South Africa once and for all.

Perhaps the crisis in education of the past three years was His way of opening our eyes to the treasure chest of opportunities awaiting us if we are just prepared to face the future with an open mind.

Come on: seize the moment! DM 

Professor Michael le Cordeur is Vice-Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Education at the University of Stellenbosch, and deputy chairperson of the SBA.