THE Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for the school day to be extended by at least an hour to allow pupils to catch up on the curriculum.
In addition to this, the party is also urging the government to bring back retired teachers to assist. Since the beginning of Covid-19 in 2020, schools have lost up to 50% of their curriculum due to intermittent closures and rotational learning.
DA MP Baxolile Nodada said the party would propose a strategy for a recovery plan to the Department of Basic Education. “As part of the recovery plan, the DA would suggest at least an extra hour be added to a school day. Secondly, we need to try and get retired teachers to come on board to give extra lessons," he said.
Commenting on this matter, education activist Hendrick Makaneta agreed that the one-hour extension would help improve learning if it’s used correctly. He said: “The extension of the school day by one hour will certainly help to improve learning and teaching if used correctly.
“It will require proper monitoring by principals and members of the school’s management team as some may use the time as just an additional school break, where they will just sit in class. Proper monitoring is required.”
He also supported the call to bring back retired teachers into the system, saying It would strengthen the process of learning. “Teaching as retired teachers brings a wealth of experience, ”he said.
Meanwhile, the DBE has scrapped the 1m social distancing rule in schools and learners have returned to full time learning across the country.
When addressing the media on Sunday last week, DBE Minister, Angie Motshekga said: “The first step towards addressing the crisis of learning is to prevent further disruptions in schools and prevent other learning losses when dealing with health and safety issues in our schools.
“The second step will be to introduce measures to catch up on the time lost, as well as the teaching time lost. We urge parents and all our stakeholders in the sector to support efforts to ensure that education continues without any further delay,” she said.
Makaneta said regular visits by facilitators could also assist in the academic development of learners. “Teachers also need support on a regular basis. The current facilitators are few and it will help if the Department of Basic Education can beef the team by appointing additional facilitators.”