WHEN all local schools were ordered to close on March 24 following a government directive aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the abrupt yet appropriate move proved to be in the interest of all stakeholders in the education sector. BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA Protection of minors particularly in the face of the novel global pandemic would have been a nightmare that even social distancing and improved hygiene could not have contained. To date the number of deaths and those infected locally, albeit minimal in comparison to elsewhere in the world, continues to rise, indicating that strict measures like the current lockdown, which started on March 30, are still necessary but the education system is now in a dilemma as these developments have interrupted the school calendar. If my daughter were to lose the whole school term it would affect her because school is an important part of her life and she can at least keep sane with school work, Rachel Chidaka told NewsDay. With schools not likely to reopen for the second term anytime soon, her daughter, a Form 1 pupil at a private school in Harare, has already begun online schooling where she has been receiving assignments and submitting them via the internet. We may have to invest more into buying our children new gadgets and pay high data costs because I certainly cannot risk taking my child to any crowded place at the moment, said Chidaka. I cannot imagine what is going to happen to all those that are not on online learning platforms. What are they going to do? In his speech announcing the extension of the lockdown by a further 14 days last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said there were ongoing stakeholder consultations concerning the way forward on reopening of learning institutions. It is clear (from the discussions) that our country is not yet in a position to reopen schools, colleges and universities. A number of health conditions must be met first to guarantee the safety of pupils, teachers, other workers in the education system and the entire nation, said Mnangagwa. In the meantime, he said, government, along with partners was mooting the idea of capacitating the education sector for e-learning as a quick fix to prevent the current academic year from going to waste. (Education) ministries are working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and corporate partners to put in place online and distance learning facilities to ensure that the students continue having access to learning materials, he said. Whether or not government fulfils this promise to give all learners access to distance education remains to be seen but with the window closing on making up for lost time, use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for learning now appears the most viable alternative. Parents, guardians as well as teachers with access to smartphones, tablets and computers are for the first time caught in an unprecedented dilemma on whether to wait for conventional classrooms to resume or go the virtual route. But, with further delay threatening t
