As a result of Covid-19 many schools were forced to resort to online learning and teaching and now more learners have been enrolled in online schools.
The Principal and Co-founder of the online school KOA Academy, Mark Anderson has said that online schooling will continue to grow in South Africa.
Online schools existed for years before Covid-19 and Anderson believes that the pandemic accelerated the desire for online learning in the country.
"I think certain schools that were forced into the position of online learning experienced negative outcomes but those online schools which were set up specifically for the online space have thrived in the last few year." said Anderson.
He says that there are pitfalls in setting up online learning as a substitute for in-person learning, as many learners experience disengagement.
Anderson believes that online schools set up specifically for the online space gives schools access to opportunities that they didn't have before.
With online schooling gaining more popularity, parents are afforded more options for their children's schooling and can decide which type of school is more suited to their child's needs and strengths.
Anderson says that teachers at the KOA Academy are able to focus on facilitating each learner's individual learning process and learners are also given their own timetable which is set up according to their challenges and strengths.
Despite reports that online schooling causes learners to fall behind the principal says that online schools which were set up correctly causes learners to thrive.
He believes that online schools must put measures in place to monitor and evaluate their academic standards and performance.
Anderson also states that there is hope that legislation will become more flexible and robust which will hold online schools accountable for the teaching and learning taking place in the online space.
