Keeping Education on Track in

Keeping Education on Track in the Disruptive School Year

After a school and studen shu tdown o ts are all ge f mo re than aring up to two mon save the ths , teache 2020 academ rs ic , paren year. ts H owever, as Basic Education Minister Connecting to education While Minister Angie Motshekga and the Department Motshekga has made it very clear that no of Basic Education kick start their phased apchild will be forced to go to school and that proach, there are still many questions about parents have a right to choose, it’s still vital how parents and teachers can help limit the for children to feel “connected to education”. effects of this disruptive year on our children. Maintaining some kind of educational proKeep the momentum going as far as posgramme, benefits children’s mental health sible Recent data shows that the quality and it will make it easier for them to transiof learning has steadily been improving tion back into some form of normality. over the past 20 years and we must try Accelerated learning While children will our best not to lose this momentum. While have fallen behind, hope is not lost. Well-dethe United Nations Educational, Scientific signed “accelerated learning programmes” and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has have shown some success in helping to advised on how to transition to technoloreintegrate children even in under-resourced gy-based distance learning, collaborations environments. It’s important that these with the SABC, radio channels, E-Portals programmes focus on the work that kids and NGOs have proved vital in helping would have missed during their curriculum students to stay on track. and adapt their lessons.

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