Two-thirds of the 2020 academic year was lost to Covid-19 school closures
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This morning matric students from all over the country are scrambling to find out their results. With SA’s national matric pass rate for 2020 having dropped by 5.1 percentage points — from 81.3% in 2019 to 76.2% in what was a tumultuous 2020 matric year.
According to findings by the UN Educational Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), as much as two-thirds of the 2020 academic year was lost on average worldwide due to Covid-19 school closures. SA in particular, lost 19 weeks of schooling in 2020. Making 2020 a truly unique and difficult year for its matrics and other students.
Associate professor in the department of childhood education at the University of Johannesburg Nicky Roberts calls for 2021 to be the “year of compassion” when dealing with students across the board in SA. She reminds us that for many who do not have access, lost teaching time is lost forever.
According to findings by the UN Educational Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), as much as two-thirds of the 2020 academic year was lost on average worldwide due to Covid-19 school closures. SA in particular, lost 19 weeks of schooling in 2020. Making 2020 a truly unique and difficult year for its matrics and other students.
Associate professor in the department of childhood education at the University of Johannesburg Nicky Roberts calls for 2021 to be the “year of compassion” when dealing with students across the board in SA. She reminds us that for many who do not have access, lost teaching time is lost forever.