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06 May 2020 | Story Prof Thidziambi Phendla. | Photo Supplied
Prof Thidziambi Phendla.
Our lives as we know it will never be the same again because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The education system, among other sectors, will be subjected to changes in the provisioning of teaching and learning. 

School disruptions are a familiar phenomenon in both basic and post-school education in South Africa. In recent years, South Africa has seen waves of student boycotts, disruptions, and shutdowns of universities and TVET colleges. Most disruptions lasted for a few days, while some went on for several weeks. One case in particular is that of Vuwani in Limpopo, where more than 50 schools were either vandalised or burned to ashes; nevertheless, the school year was recovered, and learners progressed to the next level. The main difference between the usual disruptions and the current situation lies in the enormity of the shutdown, given that it is clouded at a national level by unpredictable decisions made by the National Committee. 

Shortening school holidays
If the June exams were to be scrapped, the chief challenge would be the lost opportunity to evaluate and assess the extent to which the students have achieved the academic objectives stipulated for the subjects in the curriculum. June examinations for the other grades may not have a serious impact on the learner’s progress to the next class, as other forms of assessment could still be used. However, for matric learners, scrapping the June exams may have a huge effect, since learners require quality assessed examination results to guarantee entrance into higher education institutions.

Shortening of school holidays may not have a huge impact on learners, as this system has been in operation for many years. Many of the best performing schools shorten the school holidays to assist learners in Grades 11 and 12. In many schools, learners continue with normal schooling during the June holidays and rest during the last week of the holiday.  This strategy is already being used by the best performing schools in their quest to support learners to achieve excellent matric results. Depending on the number of days lost during the national lockdown, the option of shortening the June holidays may be the most commendable.

At face value, the strategy to lengthen school days may be the most preferred, as a number of schools in the country are already implementing it at a deeper level. Increasing the number of teaching hours may, however, have an adverse impact on the learners, who may experience enormous mental exhaustion. If the day is lengthened, it is advisable to consider not more than five hours per week.  

Deliver modern and classroom-targeted technologies 
To complement the time recovery mentioned above, there would be a need for a series of changes in some, if not all, the fundamental elements of the effective provision of teaching and learning discussed below. First, change in pedagogical approaches is inevitable. Therefore, classroom teaching will not be the same again. Second, teachers will be compelled to adapt to the use of assessment data in their endeavours to drive teaching and learning. Third, teaching in the 4IR will no longer be negotiable, but will demand advanced skills to deliver modern and classroom-targeted technologies.

Fourth, it will be crucial for teachers to acquire innovative skills to manage students’ undesirable behaviour and conduct. Fifth, immense attention to curriculum mapping, integrated learning, and lesson planning will be required. Last, pastoral care responsibilities that include social and emotional support strategies will help provide the foundation to support teaching and learning. 

In conclusion, the principal elements that make teaching and learning possible and attainable, are the teachers who will be required to learn new skills and approaches to fast-track recovery of learning. If the lockdown is lifted and schools are reopened, the number of learners must be reduced dramatically from the average of 50 to a maximum of 20 learners in a classroom in order to maintain social distancing.

Prof Thidziambi Phendla is currently Manager of Work-Integrated Learning at the University of the Free State. She is the Founder and Director of the Domestic Worker Advocacy Forum (DWAF) and the Study Clinic Surrogate Supervision; and Chair of the Council of the Tshwane North TVET College (ministerial appointment).


News Archive

Multi-disciplinary research approach at UFS
2005-10-25

UFS follows multi-disciplinary research approach with opening of new centre 

“A new way of doing business in necessary in the research and teaching of agriculture and natural sciences in South Africa.  We must move away from  departmentalised research infrastructures and a multi-disciplinary approach to research involving several disciplines must be adapted,” said Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean:  Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS).   

Prof van Schalkwyk delivered the keynote address during the launch of the Centre for Plant Health Management (CePHMa) at the Main Campus in Bloemfontein today (21 October 2005).  CePHMa is an initiative of the UFS Department of Plant Sciences.

According to Prof van Schalkwyk a tertiary institution must practice multi-disciplinary research to be a world-class research institution.  “It is difficult for researchers to admit that they do not know a lot about each other’s area of speciality.  It is therefore necessary for researchers to make a paradigm shift and to focus on inter-disciplinary co-operation.  To do this, we must encourage them to work together and to find a common language to communicate ideas en establish symbiotic relationships,” said Prof Van Schalkwyk.

“We tend to think that research is better and faster if it is specialised.  This is not true.  The new generation of scientists are young and they are trained to form a concept of the total system and not to focus on a specific area of speciality.  At the UFS we encourage this approach to research.  This was one of the main reasons for the establishment of CePHMa,” said Prof Van Schalkwyk.
CePHMa is the only centre of its kind in Africa and is established to extend the expertise in plant health management in South Africa and in Africa, to train experts in plant health and to conduct multi-disciplinary research about the health of agricultural crops.  

“CePHMa is a virtual centre comprising of ten disciplines applicable to crop production and crop protection,” said Prof Wijnand Swart, Chairperson of CePHMa during the opening ceremony.

“The UFS is the leading institution in Africa in terms of news crop development and manages three research programmes that concentrate on new crops, i.e. the New Crop Pathology Programme, the New Crop Development Programme and the Insects on New Crops Programme.  Other applied research programmes that are unique to the UFS are genetic resistance to rust diseases of small grain crops and sustainable integrated disease management of field crops,” said Prof Swart.

“Because the expected growth in population will be 80% in 2020 in sub-Saharan Africa, the future demands of food produce in Africa will be influenced.  Therefore research will in future be focused on ways to improve food security by employing  agricultural systems that are economically viable and environmentally sound,” said Prof Swart.

“Thorough knowledge of the concept of holistic plant health management is crucial to meet the challenge and it is therefore imperative that innovative crop protection and crop production strategies, with particular emphasis on plant health, be adopted.  This is why the Department of Plant Sciences initiated the establishment of CePHMA,” he said.

According to Prof Swart there is a shortage of expertise in plant health management.  “The UFS has shown the potential to address the demand of the sub-continent of Africa regarding expertise training and CePHMa is the leader in southern Africa to provide in this need,” he said.

The appropriateness and quality of training in plant health management is reflected in the fact that students from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, Angola, Mozambique and Lesotho have already been trained or are in the process of being trained in at the UFS.

Scientists from CePHMa have forged partnerships with numerous national and international institutions including the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), various community trusts, seed, pesticide and agricultural chemical companies, in addition to overseas universities. 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
21 October 2005

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