SA failing vulnerable pupils during pandemic – UN

SA is among 40% of the world’s developing countries which failed vulnerable pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic. A report in The Citizen notes that this is according to the Unesco in its fourth annual Global Education Monitoring report. Research monitored progress in 209 countries in achieving the education targets adopted by UN member states in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. One of the highlighted issues was the heightened inequality which emerged from the pandemic, with which governments were still grappling. The report said 258m children were entirely excluded from education, with poverty as the main obstacle to access. The report pointed out that Education Minister Angie Motshekga did not deliver on a number of promises to pupils during the lockdown. It said while the department aimed to ensure each school had at least one teacher trained to screen and support students, this target was not met. In Johannesburg, this was a factor in increased exclusion of poor suburban children from better-performing schools. Lack of certain resources blocked many pupils from accessing e-learning services, leaving thousands at risk of not completing the school year. But the Congress of South African Students secretary-general Tebogo Magafane said government had coped relatively well compared with its peers on the continent and should be applauded for its efforts, while it had much to improve upon. ‘Remember, we are dealing with the common enemy that is Covid-19 and we must first understand that youth unemployement is high in our country and education is the only way we will deal with this challenge,’ he said.

Full report in The Witness