In the absence of the best (classes) the school camps must be considered.
By Mr. Thembalihle Skonje (educator at Ngqayizivele Secondary School in Tembisa)
My proposal is that after taking into consideration the status of readiness in schools as well as state of utilization of possible infrastructures with maximum benefit to everyone. Everyone being the Department, Learners, Educators and not forgetting Parents. I propose School Camps for the grade 12s together with all grade 12 educators.
The camps will enable the province whereby the year could be saved, lives could be saved, and infection could be controlled and thus the curve flattened. The proposal is that the Department of Basic Education embarks on this as a project entailing all grade 12 being sent to camps, and these camps being premised on the format of SSIP camps.
The proposed time frames are between July and August. Estimated times are four to five weeks. The background to the time frames proposed is in the following:
- Grade 12 have only 50% of work to be covered before they sit for Preliminary Examination
- Four to Five weeks of extensive and rigorous teaching could be used efficiently to cover the 50% left on the syllabus.
- Cutting off of extra mural activities such as sports and probably excursion and any other activities would increase contact time to the benefit of the learners.
- Teaching and learning has a potential to thrive in those conducive environment
- The Camps would be extended beyond school hours to afternoon and evening classes.
- During these camps, learner would be safe as they will be screened all the time.
- This exercise will eliminate any possibility of infection that may have happened in a home environment whereby parents would have been coming from work place and their exposures to transport systems would have increased chances of infections.
- The infection would be controlled between learners and educators as they would all be residing in the same controlled residence
After the proposed time frames there would possibly be a direction in relation to the Covid 19 management.
- When the camps period ends, learners would be ready to sit for Preliminary Examination. And subsequent to that, more revision would get them ready for final examination in November / December
All of the listed activities would help save the year and lives for learners who need to be ready for tertiary education. Currently China has allowed only learners equivalent to grade 12 learners who need to proceed to universities after June. So for SA it would serve the country well to be cautious and save lives.