The Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the vandalism of over a hundred schools that occurred as a result of the July unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, disrupted teaching and learning, particularly for matriculants.
Learners and teachers across the country share their experiences of how they have been preparing for the final matric exams despite the overwhelming circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
In Gauteng, matriculants at Vukani Secondary School in Mamelodi, East Pretoria have managed to pass their preliminary exams well, despite the ongoing challenges in the education sector.
One matric learner, who is a high achiever at the school, says that she is prepared for the upcoming final exams and that this is mostly due to the Systems Evaluation Protocol (SEP) classes that are held on weekends.
She adds that the teachers at the school make the effort of guiding them through their study material and mentoring them through parts of it that they may find difficult.
One of the teachers at Vukani, Bongani Masehele says that what makes his job a lot easier is that pupils are determined and driven to pass.
He also points out that they are always willing to stay for extra hours during weekdays and always make time for weekend classes.
The school's principal, Masindi Mbelengwa also states that they convene a meeting with the parents to engage them on how to better support the learners at home so that they can work independently. The school also has an additional project, called Kutlwanong, which is aimed at helping Math and Science learners.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the provincial education department has said that the R6.3 billion budget cut has had a highly negative impact on teaching and learning in the province.
A Union representative of PSA has also said that the 4000 unfilled vacancies and the debilitating infrastructure is among their biggest concern and they have called on the National Treasury Department to take action.
In Cape Town, some of the matric pupils have said that the Covid pandemic has placed enormous pressure on their teachers. They have also said that remote learning has been challenged for underprivileged learners at the school.
