The education system is big (13 million learners), unequal and socially graded. Although improving, the achievement outcomes are low, fragile and susceptible to shocks. The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt the education system a major blow, especially for poor and vulnerable learners.
In March 2020, South Africa, like most of the world, went into total lockdown. The education system was unprepared for the closures. Schools, teachers and administrators were forced to build emergency remote-learning systems almost immediately. This threw the spotlight on access to digital devices, connectivity, having a quiet place to work in, and the problem of stubborn inequality.
Better-resourced homes and schools were able to move to digital forms of learning and proceed with the curriculum. For most learners, despite the best intentions, there was very little structured learning.…
