It’s been nearly a year since South Africa first went into lockdown.
Among the hard lockdown restrictions announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa was the closure of all public schools , as the country faced a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Schools and tertiary institutions were forced to move to online learning, as uncertainty and concern grew around when learners would return to the classroom.
Today we look back at the challenges faced by parents, teachers and learners and speak to teachers, parents and learners about the challenges they faced during the shutdown of schools, reflecting on the turbulent past year.
Teachers:
Yasira Saley – Emmarentia Primary School (taught at a different school during the lockdown):
It gives me goosebumps to think how far we’ve come. I remember feeling so anxious as we were about to go into unknown territory. How would our learners cope? Would they get the support they need from home? Would it be effective? How would we give them the best education possible while not being at school? How much work would we be missing out on? Would our learners be safe?
I was also very concerned for our learners who lived with grandparents, what would they do? Also, with talk of learning going online, I was worried about learners who don't have devices or access to the internet.
Not being able to go back to school had hit me hard. I missed the energy my learners gave. Their dynamic personalities which brightened up each day. It felt so dull not to be able to hug them or see their smiles.
Online learning was a struggle to get parents on board. Many did not offer support or did not help their children get organised. Many learners lost their routine so they struggled to cope.
Online learning, in my opinion, only proved beneficial in the sense that the learners at our school didn’t miss out on work.
Katlego Thwane – teacher and founder of youth and educational foundation the Atlegang Bana Foundation:
I was struck by lots of anxiety when the country went into a hard lockdown. I was worried about how we would catch up on all the missed work when schools were closed. I was also worried that I could lose my job.
Online learning worried me. It is nothing like physically being able to teach a child. Would the kids be able to grasp the concept the same way as they would in class? Could I even use the technology devices to teach with?
I struggled to operate the devices, the system often logged me off. Many times students couldn't hear me, especially during live sessions. I also had a challenge sticking to time with the students.
Deonette Hayes: Principal/Owner of Speelkas Kleuterskool
We provided parents with home programmes to keep the children busy, this included all our normal daily activities like language development, gross motor skills, preparatory writing and maths activities, art, music and sensory play.
I missed my kids so much, their hugs, their laughter, their love ... Even the noise they make! Teaching is such a rewarding job and it's the little moments of seeing a child do something for the first time or overcoming a struggle that I personally missed.
As a principal, and owner of a school, I had many challenges. There was a lot of contradictory information and this made it difficult at times to answer parents’ questions. This was uncharted territory for people all over the world and we tried to adapt and stay positive.
Now I absolutely love being back at school and having my kids back! The way these little ones adapted to all the new procedures and protocols is fantastic. Children as young as 20 months reminding their parents or teachers to sanitise or to wear their masks properly is wonderful! It made me realise why I love doing what I do.
Janita Prag – Dr Yusuf Dadoo Primary School educator
Being away from my students was heartbreaking. I missed all the class discussions, jokes and laughs and chats in the corridors. I wondered how they were coping at home.
I think the biggest challenge during the level 5 lockdown was the uncertainty and anxiety that came with it.
Uncertainty of when we'll be returning to school, of what a classroom would be like when we return. The initial closing of school was so sudden. We had to drop everything, pack up and leave without many goodbyes.
We had so many plans and ideas for the year ahead and everything just fell away in an instant.
Parents:
Hasina Kaloo and Masood Ahmed
The announcement of a 21-day hard lockdown was not concerning. We would see out the 21 days, and school and life would go back to normal. Little did we know that it was to last a very long time.
We had lots of bonding fun, and activities took place with the kids, but then every passing day became more difficult.
Trying to keep them occupied while you tried to get back to work was hard. Screen time increased quite a bit and as parents we lost some control.
Online schooling was difficult and frustrating. We had to make sure the kids were logged on and had the correct codes. We had to continuously check if they were not messing around.
Trying to be a teacher after the classes were done was extremely hard and draining, and a great disadvantage to many kids. When you’re not a teacher, it’s difficult to put things across to the kids so they can understand or make sense of things.
We had to be fully involved, making sure they don’t fall behind.
Paballo Thekiso
When the country went into lockdown, the first term at school had just begun and the kids were excited to go to school. My eldest daughter was going to Grade 1 and it was a really big thing. When the schools shut down we didn’t know what was going to happen. It was a confusing time. Lockdown brought double the pressure. You’re trying to do your own work and teach your kids at the same time.
We did school work until 2pm every day and then tried to catch up on work afterwards. At 5pm it was reading time, then dinner time and getting the kids ready for bed.
Having the kids home was a gift and a blessing. I'm a very busy father. We work and run a church as well. Our kids loved that we were home. We played games, bonded, we started new traditions in the family and it was a proper blessing.
Noor-Jehan Yoro Badat, parent to three children
I know both my husband, Agmat, and I were relieved when schools were closed. We weren't too worried about our kids missing out on classes.
Our youngest was in Grade 9 and our two older kids were already in their second year of university, so we knew they’d be able to cope with whatever the year would throw at them. We just wanted everyone to be safe.
I can't speak for my children, but we really enjoyed being together. It afforded us quality time with them.
Curfew was early and we didn't have to worry about our older children being out late. After a while, I think it got frustrating for them because they couldn't hang out with friends or go out like they used to.
All my kids did online learning. I didn't have to supervise them much. They managed on their own.
Although my kids coped and found their own rhythm in learning online, it was a bit worrying at how this abnormal situation was affecting them holistically.
Prashna Vallabh
I was anxious when I found out that schools would be closing, but also relieved that our kids were safe.
Having our son at home kept us incredibly busy and it was unsettling initially because of the uncertainty the virus had created.
We started with online learning two weeks into the hard lockdown. It was busy, as the school was also thrown into the deep end and had to come up with quick solutions. Parents were given a lot of responsibilities.
We had to be very involved with the online learning process. As parents, we were responsible for the completion of tasks given to us by the school and the uploading of all these tasks.
We’re now no longer with mainstream schooling because of the uncertainty the virus has created. The shutting down and reopening of schools so frequently was not working for us.
My son is at a full time virtual school for this year. All lessons are done online and teaching is done online.
Learners:
Layla Yoro Badat – Grade 10, Greenside High School
At first I was happy when I heard schools would be closing because I didn’t think Covid-19 would be that serious and I thought it would be a two week thing. But it wasn’t. Later on I hated that schools closed because it messed up my marks completely.
I never adapted to online learning because I found it quite difficult to teach myself, and my school didn’t introduce us to Zoom calls because it wasn’t available for everyone. It never really worked for me and I struggled with work and keeping up with it.
As much as it was nice to be at home, I couldn’t keep myself focused every day. I had no motivation to do work and just ended up cramming all the work into one night.
I think I coped well with not seeing my friends because I could message and call them. But some of them didn’t respond, so Covid-19 did end a few of my friendships.
Rishti Bhula – Grade 4, Cornwall Hill College
I didn’t enjoy online learning as going to school is far more helpful. I was really sad and felt so lonely and bored and wanted to play with my friends.
While I was sad to not see my friends, I was also happy to be home so I could do as I pleased.
Now I’m so happy to be back at school so I can see all my friends and I no longer feel bored.
Nawaal Yoro Badat – third year Wits student
I was happy when I found out that universities were closing. It meant no stress for a bit and a much needed break.
However, at the same time it was worrying as there was uncertainty of the academic year and how we would catch up with what we missed during this time at home.
At first, I didn’t enjoy online learning at all because I found it difficult to manage my time and the workload was exactly the same as it was for face-to-face learning. It was a big adjustment.
But after doing it for a few months, I do enjoy it as I get to do work from the comfort of my home on my own time. It’s also allowed me to become more organised.
I did miss my friends a lot. Not being able to see my friends every day at university was tough as there was no one to complain to about the struggles of university. It was hard as you saw only your family for a few months and didn’t have as much social interaction with anyone else.
Being around my parents all the time had its ups and downs. We all got to spend time with each other and bond in those few months.
But it got a bit much after a few months and everyone was in everyone’s space fighting, and you couldn’t even go anywhere because of lockdown.