Online teaching for some, extended holiday for others
While some learners spend their days either being home-schooled or attending online classes, others acknowledge that the lockdown is nothing more than an extended holiday.
POLOKWANE – The nationwide lockdown has taken its toll on individuals, the business sector and learners across the country.
Six weeks after what was supposed to be the end of the school holiday, learners are now at home under lockdown regulations, for their own health and safety. Some schools have introduced online teaching and learning, while others make use of social media to get work to learners. Not all schools and learners are fortunate enough though to have smart devices like cell phones, tablets and laptops to access these services.
We spoke to learners from rural schools in the area, as well as to Principal Amos Mothapo from the Mosepedi Secondary School in Makotse village on how they are coping during the Covid-19 lockdown period.
According to Mothapo, the school joined the #MosepediAlumni programme to assist in teaching learners online during the lockdown until further notice. “This programme was initiated by Thabang Bogopa, a resident from the community and former learner of the school.”
Thabang said on this online learning platform, they teach learners from Gr 8 to 12. All subjects are offered as they have enough teachers for this purpose. He said to access this WhatsApp, learners follow a link on his Facebook page, and teachers alert learners five minutes before they go live so that they can all be ready for a certain class.
Learners had this to say:
Lesedi Makanye, Gr 7 learner from Mokone Primary School. “It is difficult to study from home. All I do is eat and play, and study when my parents force me to. I really don’t know what it will be like when we return to school, but surely it is going to be difficult, because to be honest, us children see the lockdown as an extended school holiday.”
Tokollo Leshilo, Gr 12 learner from SJ van Der Merwe Technical High School said the lockdown has complicated many things, and that being taught in a classroom is very different to online teaching. “I was looking forward to further my studies at tertiary level next year, but it all seems impossible now, hopefully things will get back to normal soon, because as for now we just have to take each day as it comes.”
Salome Maponya, Gr 12 learner from Kopano High School: “Not going to school and sitting at home worries me a lot, because I spent most of the time on social media and doing house chores, and spend but a few hours on my books. Some of the topics and subjects such as mathematics and accounting for example I find difficult to study on my own. I wish things can go back to normal, so that we can return to class like before, because online learning does not work for me.”
Kefilwe Mkhondo, Gr 7 learner from Mashite Primary School: “Before the lockdown I did not spend a lot of time reading my books at home, I used to open them at home only when I had homework. Now it has been almost four weeks without opening a book and this makes me forget that I am a learner. I want to go back to school as soon as possible, because without school I am falling behind.”
Maphoko Phosa, a Gr 12 learner from Mamokutupi High School, said it has been very difficult to study from home, as there are many distractions: “I am not coping, as I am struggling with mathematics and science.”
