RESEARCH shows that the school learning lost last year because of the coronavirus pandemic may not be salvaged.
The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in about 80% of learning being lost in 2020, according to the Department of Basic Education.
The department had conducted surveys on the impact the pandemic has had on schooling, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga told a media briefing on Sunday.
Rising coronavirus cases have led to some schools being closed. Some parents have kept their children at home, fearing the impact on their health.
Professor Martin Gustafsson from Stellenbosch University said about 50% of schooling has been lost so far this year. The biggest impact has been on the foundation phase.
The areas of the country that have been largely impacted included the Free State and the Eastern Cape, with the worst attendance records.
Gustafsson said the impact of the pandemic has been largely felt in poor communities, and there was a concern that large amounts of schooling would be lost if children were not in contact with teachers.
School intake numbers have not been spared. The intake for learners aged 4 to 6 was lower by 25 000 this year than it should have been. The intake of learners in Grades R and 1 had dropped.
The intake of children aged 7 to 14 was lower by 10 000. Not much of a difference was observed in ages 15 and above, Gustafsson said.
With so much schooling lost, Gustafsson said the solution was not to catch up, because this was impossible, but to cushion the impact.
He said the biggest concern was how the disruption to learning during the foundation phase now would impact learners when they entered matric in 10 years’ time.
The impact of Covid-19 on schooling was a global problem, Gustafsson said, and an analysis showed that more than 60% of schooling had been lost in Africa.
Motshekga said the education system was stable despite the lost learning.
Political Bureau