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Personal sacrifices needed to sustain balance during Covid-19 DOCTOR Priscilla Brijlal is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Den- training on patients. tistry and Head of Department of Oral Hygiene. She has exten- “The greatest challenge is the anxiety of being around people, sive expertise in the area of dental education, clinical practice patients and within a hospital setting where Covid-testing and and oral health promotion in South Africa. hospitalisation is in progress. Furthermore, the donning of perThe sudden shift to an online teaching environment was a huge sonal protective wear such as N95 masks with another surgical adjustment for her, like for so many others. “Facing the dawn of mask beneath, facial screens, head and foot gear, does not make an online-only work space was a significant shift for me. UWC is it easier. It is an incredibly challenging time for everyone in the a contact university becausechallenged of the clinical I work in, itto health sector. The onset of theand pandemic Dr field Nosisi Dlamini are expected to juggle their workload and absorb additional was a huge the shift; navigating the online “We work domestic long clinical shifts stand time, for allincluding this time.childcare, Before rethink andchallenge transformmaking her teaching, learning and reduties at and the same space andstrategies. being creative in the presented leaving the office, have toAschange intothey our are ownafsearch She felt likeway shewe was being cleaning andwe cooking. a result, lectures, assessments and attended clothing, which we again remove before enter- in confronted with the need to createmeetings. a clear fected by the disproportionate reduction “Although I am and 20 years into lecturing, oning the Amidsttoallresearch the commitments line of vision an execution roadmap, timehouse. dedicated and other line preparation and teaching posed of home and work, death is looming as well as an urgent need to upskill academic demands.” many as we transitioned overYet, us Dr in the workplace and inherself our and challenges adapt to changing conditions, Dlamini has trained from the traditional classroom families. justlinings have intothe support and match new roles and activito seeWe silver current method each other to“I get by each day. I ties. we were accustomed to. situation. believe that despite We to learn fast and draw my family “Inhad 2020, I enrolled for aadapt Postthestrength Covid-19from challenges, the tograduate the new changes andpandemic friends, while looking out Diplomainstantanein Immeropened a goldmine ously. Furthermore, there for those in need. sive Technologies at the was Uniof academic and professional noversity structure to the day. Work“A healthy work-life balance of the Western Cape. development opportunities.” ingThrough hours went into the Inight. wasShe not much this course, have won of thea possibilemerging It amassed was a challenge trying to ity over the Award last year and in a wealth of knowlLecturer at –UWC get a system going at to home women to the make edge and adapted the June have 2020, had just as panand it often led to exhaustion personal to sustain demands of virtual instrucdemicsacrifices was wreaking havoc and frustration.” any–kind of balance. tion. My students have also which only goes to prove Like manyaccess of her to colleagues, “I am work every day atare thealgained a wealth herat point that there DrofBrijlal believes Tygerberg Oral Health Cenuseful digital that toolswomen in the ways positives to be found. have disproportionately tre, As while mymanaging family work formbeen of online collaboration far as herfrom workaffected by the pandemic. the home. still do the tools, live video sessionsIn and life I balance, shechores has aand few initial months of resource the lockdown, cooking before I leave home.to great digital learning develstrategies that she uses she worked from home, along with “I have had to cut corners to sustain opment.” effect. the family and without a include regular my “At sanity cutting my prayer time, Drwhole Dlamini’s responsibilities the — beginning of each academic domestic worker to share the workload. drastically reduced mykeep sleep time and curriculum design and renewal, exam year, I design and a digital daily “Women in general have household often skipping mealstrack and also exercise moderation, postgraduate research and suplanner to keep of mymy goals, priorichildcare related responsibilities, addition in to time,ties, justactivities to keepand house and up to date with pervision and much more. herininterests family commitments. I have workplace responsibilities. Apart the daily rework.also invested in equipment that supports my daily early literacy development, earlyfrom childhood edusponsibilities, health of women “I had work to make peace with myselfdisrupand cation and the virtual instruction in is activities to avoid more profoundly affected they are “At the beginning of each academic year, slowly tions began to realise that whatever language education, all as benefited during work hours. I also take child-bearing, and are fur- “I have had to cut corners to sustain my I am destined to do throughout as a householder greatly fromchild-rearing the new digital skills breaks the day I design and keep a digital daily planner to small ther is myand karma and my shesubjected acquired.to hormonal changes at sanity — cutting my prayer time, drasti- and a toteacher, re-energise recharge. This keep of my activities different stages. prayer.increases My prayerproductivity, is inherent in what I As shelife made the transition to virconcentracallytrack reduced mygoals, sleep priorities, time and often “Intual theinstruction, absence ofallmy helper, day do to help of others. around herthe she tion the andlives focus. I also avoid proand family commitments” skipping meals and also my exercise “My current started withincreased household chores, making goals When are tofaced ensure saw the need for womcrastination. with una big time, justdemands to keepwith houseproject and at upwork to date the and thenand go- professional dergraduates postgraduates com- I enbreakfast, to jugglecleaning multiple up academic or home, I divide it intoand smaller tasks. Whenever ingincreases online — in either teaching,responsibilities. attending plete their In studies in the minimum time, housework “For example,with homeam overwhelmed, I re-strategise. the constantly evolving acawork.” meetings or poses preparing lectures. without having to experience major schooling extraonline demands on women who were already demic terrain, I try to continuously innovate to stay upbeat with This was followed preparation of challenges during this difficult period. weighed down bybyacademic expectations. Female academics the rapidly-evolving academic environment.” the lunch meals and doing more household chores, going online These are more important than my own needs right now. again and then preparing for dinner. It was cleaning, cooking, eat- “I still have a desire to become an Associate Professor, however, ing and working — three times a day, for months.” the road is not easy and the avenues to facilitate this process Once the staff and students began returning to the faculty in a have been put on hold because of the overwhelming changes I phased approach, Dr Brijlal had to resume clinical teaching and currently encounter to get by each day.”
Pandemic opened ‘goldmine’ of professional development opportunities
