As parents, teachers and pupils anxiously await clarity from the government on whether or not schools will close again amidst the dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases, Ridgeway College in Louis Trichardt is using the time to reflect on its online lessons.

“There is no doubt that the Covid storm is breaking over our country, and in Limpopo, we watch with growing alarm as those clouds of gloom and fear gather on the horizon. As the number of infections rises, so too do parental fears around protecting their children,” said Dionne Redfern, executive head of Ridgeway College, Ridgeway Preparatory and the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre.

Redfern said that they continued to screen and sanitise, while insisting on the wearing of masks, social distancing, and all the other protocols daily. “While I am pleased by our attendance figures, I am mindful that this could change as cases in our town rise. I am mindful, too, that the President and the Minister of Basic Education are re-evaluating their position on schools in the light of increasing pressure from the unions,” said Redfern.

She added that, should the call be made to close schools again until the peak is over, what is reassuring for them as a school is that they have been online for four months now, and they are a lot wiser about the pitfalls of this system. “It all sounded glamorous and exciting initially ... move online and carry on with lessons. Easier said than done! It takes three times longer to prepare an online lesson and, once uploaded, we are then dependent on children’s having the connectivity and data to access the lesson and - more interestingly - the motivation to do the work,” said Redfern.

Redfern said that, as a now fully licensed Google School, they had far better infrastructure in place and had learnt that, for some, online learning was far too comfortable. “The timetable was not adhered to, and if we revert to this again, a roll call will be taken on the Google Classroom stream and participation in lessons at a set time will be expected. Too many pupils lost focus or lacked the maturity to self-motivate. Without constant supervision at home, they ignored their work or submitted work that was sub-standard,” said Redfern. She added that seeing the lethargy and level of disengagement in some of the students had been alarming. “Now, having seen their marks, they will be aware of the consequences. As a further measure to avoid this happening, we established parent WhatsApp groups and communicated every week to inform them what work was missing. It's one thing to con a teacher but another matter to face one's parents!” said Redfern.

Redfern did, however, state that online teaching would never replace face-to-face teaching. “We need our pupils to stay in class for as long as we are able to keep them at school and to make the most of every lesson. Going back online full-time will be our last resort, but at least we know that if we have to, we can ... and we will do it well,” said Redfern.

Ridgeway is at present also running a Saturday school to make up for the loss of face-to-face teaching for the matriculants. “We have three hours of dedicated time for two subjects each Saturday, which is proving invaluable. This last weekend, the time was used for a life science practical, as well as for CAT, history, and geography. All credit to the teachers for going the extra mile to do everything in their power to save the academic year of their learners.  One day, we will look back on this extraordinary journey and laugh. Or not,” said Redfern.