Keeping schools closed could have long-term impact

It is no secret that Covid has wreaked havoc with our education system since the first lockdown was enforced by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the end of March last year.

In the nearly 16 months since the arrival of the pandemic, it has forced school closures, disrupted planned terms, forced educators to adopt rotational schedules and try online learning in a bid to curb rising Covid infections.

While teachers must be applauded for their tireless and unselfish work, these measures have sadly exposed the inequality in our education system.

Shenilla Mohamed, executive director of Amnesty International South Africa, said earlier this year: “A child’s experience of education in South Africa is still dependent on where they are born, how wealthy they are and the colour of their skin.”

Now, following the release of the National Income Dynamics Study, Business Day reports that more than half a million pupils have quit school as a result of the pandemic. The Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey, conducted by 30 researchers at six universities, follows the socioeconomic effects of the pandemic on households since it began.

It found pupil dropout rates are now at the highest they have been in 20 years; and younger grades, especially in the rural areas, have lost close to a year of learning.

Pupils dropping out before completing Grade 12 is nothing new but this survey suggests this figure is now three times higher, finding between 650 000 and 750 000 children between the age of seven and 17 years were not in school.

The study strongly recommends public schools open, as planned, at the end of this month. We are already facing the danger of losing a generation of pupils. The long-term effects of not going back to school could have far-reaching impact if there is no intervention.