Schools to scrap rotational learning and resume to normal
Johannesburg – Rotational learning will end come 7 February; the Department of Basic Education announced that schools will return to normal hours with full attendance. Cabinet approved the changes after a special meeting and removed the one-meter social distance restriction for learners.
The Principal of Islamic College Newcastle, Raymond Rokondo advised students they should take advantage of the extra time they have at school.
“It is actually an advantage for them because most of the things were given to them as homework. They can take advantage of the time that they now have to go over their work and revise.” The real time spent amongst teachers and one’s peers can be invaluable. Rokondo also advised parents who might feel extra pressure they should get into contact with the schools and get a homework timetable, so they are not caught off guard.
“What the parents can do, especially for homework, is to contact the school and get some sort of homework timetable from the school so they prepare and know that they (their children) will be coming home with work to do can.”
It is not only parents and students who are feeling the pressure but also educators who have gotten used to the rotation system. After two years, they now have to get back into the normal school system that many of the newer educators are not used to.
Educators such as Aamira Hattia from Nxamalala Islamic School feels it will take time to get used to the system again, but the workload will be less this year as they will not have “to repeat a one day timetable and work for the kids twice a week.”
Teachers have stressed that parents need to avail themselves for at least 10 minutes a day to help their children with homework and give them the added support they need before they can get used to the system again.
Working parents such as Irfana Moolla have praised the decision as now, they know that their kids are in a safe environment and doing something productive with their time as opposed to sitting around and doing nothing.
The change in the school system was made alongside the restriction to isolate, for those who are asymptomatic and test positive for Covid-19, being dropped.
According to a statement issued by the Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, the rationale for these amendments is informed by the proportion of people with immunity to COVID-19 which has risen substantially, exceeding 60-80% in several zero-surveys.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said rotational learning had been harmful to learners, affecting their cognitive abilities, disrupting the national school nutrition programme, and taking a toll on learners’ mental wellbeing. With 15 months of teaching and learning lost, the Commission has called on the Department of Education to come up with a catch-up plan.
