Smartboards and computer classes may be affected by load-shedding, but teaching continues

As Eskom's rolling blackouts continued this week South Africans turned to social media to share how they have affected everyday life.

One person, a computer application technology teacher, took to Twitter on Monday to share how she instructs her classes.

“Had fun teaching Microsoft Access during load-shedding today. Never a dull moment,” she said.

The programme helps to create desktop databases.

She showed how she had drawn columns on a  white board to demonstrate what would have been on pupils' computer screens. 

As technology progresses and some schools in the country have ditched the traditional chalkboard for electronic smartboards, the department of education said it was not concerned about load-shedding affecting education. 

“Load-shedding is not such a major challenge to the majority of schools and, of course, learners. Natural light is sufficient for learning and teaching. Teachers don’t depend entirely on electronic devices, as paper-based planning is still the norm for the majority of the subjects in school,” basic education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga told TimesLIVE.

“It is for that reason, even during matric exams, that load-shedding was not an issue for basic education. Some schools have generators, while others use solar panels. In the main, the business of education continues with or without load-shedding. There are disruptions, of course, and we wish these could be avoided but the impact is not of crisis proportions,” Mhlanga said.