While schools are currently closed for the mid-year break, load shedding continues to cause serious disruption to education in the Western Cape as winter school and revision programmes continue through the break.
As matriculants count down the weeks until they sit for the National Senior Certificate exams, the mid-year break is a time used by most schools to conduct revision programmes.
However, the critical time that should be used to crunch in as much revision as possible has been hindered by load shedding.
Districts across the province have reported that load shedding is posing a serious challenge to the implementation of these revision programmes and for those who attend winter school.
The Western Cape MEC of Education David Maynier said such challenges include students arriving late, because it is not safe to walk to their transport when there is load shedding where they live.
The power cuts have left classrooms dark, with students having to shift around to venues with enough natural light.
Teachers and facilitators cannot use overhead projection or eLearning tools during certain times, and streamed lessons to some schools have had to be cancelled as they had no power to receive them.
“In addition, students accessing our ePortal resources from home are affected, with power cuts leaving both website servers and students’ homes without electricity. Online tutors must move from place to place to ensure that they are in an area not scheduled for a blackout when they hold their tutoring sessions. Even cellphone reception dips in some areas because load shedding affects cell towers,” Maynier said in a statement.
The department reported that the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute, which has a full programme of training for staff during the holidays, has also been significantly affected by load shedding – particularly the ICT and online courses.
The provincial department said the impact is not only felt on teaching and learning as meal times for programmes where students receive a meal have had to be moved around to times when electricity is available.
“Some of our Safe Schools programmes had to be postponed or cancelled. Staff at our district offices are frequently without internet connectivity or phone access,” Maynier said.
While the provincial department is trying to ensure that the majority of its programmes can go ahead, despite the disruption and frustration, they have expressed deep concern that learning will be more severely disrupted if load shedding does not end in time for the start of the third term.
“We need to recover from profound learning losses caused by the pandemic, and we simply cannot do so without a reliable electricity supply.”
Already schools have been taking steps to ensure that they have a more reliable power supply. The department has received 41 applications from schools thus far seeking approval for the installation of solar panels. Others are making plans to have emergency lighting and battery power in place during load shedding.
To reduce demand on the grid, the LED lighting project in partnership with Stellenbosch University – which sees the replacement of outdated fluorescent lights with LED lights – has projected savings of 11 742kWh per year per school, while reducing their electricity bills.
“We have measures in place to ensure that matric exams can continue later in the year, including the use of generators for computer-based practicals, and clear protocols to maintain the integrity of exam sittings during power failures.
“We will continue to do everything we can to support schools in managing the impact of load shedding, to ensure that no matter what stage the country finds itself in, quality education can continue in the Western Cape,” Maynier said.
The department also thanked their office-based staff, teachers, and facilitators for thinking on their feet to ensure that some teaching and learning can still take place.
They also thanked the students for their continued commitment to making the most of these learning opportunities.
Education