POLL | Can the 2020 academic year be saved?

The debate about whether the 2020 academic year can still be saved continues as uncertainty about the lockdown remains. 

The department of basic education's recovery plan suggests that pupils should return to schools two grades at a time. TimesLIVE reported that should the proposal be approved by the cabinet and the lockdown be lifted on April 30, grade 7 and matric pupils would be the first to return to school, on May 6.

Grade 11 and 6 pupils would return on May 20, grades 10 and 5 on June 3, grades 9 and 4 on June 17, grades 8 and 3 on July 1, grades 2 and 1 on July 8, and Grade R on July 15.

It was also suggested that teachers return on May 4.

The department's spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, disagreed with the opinion of education expert, Prof Jonathan Jansen, who suggested that the year be scrapped and pupils in grades 1-11 progress to the next grades “for organisational purposes”.

According to Jansen, the Covid-19 epidemic is not the issue, but inequality and a lack of resources is.

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Jansen laments that the majority of pupils, who don't have access to virtual classrooms facilitated through Zoom, WhatsApp groups and YouTube, are unable to continue with their curriculum, complete assignments and do homework while on lockdown. 

He believes that the uncertainty on when the lockdown will be lifted means even less time for pupils to finish their curriculum.

Mhlanga said while the department and its pupils have suffered a loss of time due to the lockdown, it's still too early to scrap the year. He said the department had successfully dealt with disruptions before, including the 2016 protests in Vuwani, Limpopo, which lasted about three months. 

Mhlanga wrote that the recovery details a strategy that will incorporate all the work done before and after the lockdown, instead of “abandoning it”, as suggested by Jansen. 

The higher education ministry on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of its academic year spilling into the first quarter of 2021.

Diane Parker, the deputy director-general responsible for university education, said this would depend on the recommendations made by the experts and discussions with the department of basic education.

Parker emphasised the importance of higher education aligning its plans with those of the department of basic education, to allow for a smooth intake of first-year students in 2021.

“This is going to be very important for us to think about in the different scenarios under consideration. We are going to have to work very closely to ensure that we've got alignment,” she said, according to TimesLIVE.