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THE COVID-19 pandemic has, since its outbreak in South Africa in March last year, reversed gains made by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) over the last 20 years.
The DBE said between 50% and 75% of learning that takes place during a normal school year had been lost.
“We have now begun to measure Covid-19 related to learning losses in South Africa by comparing how much children learned last year, with how much they learned in a normal school year before that,” director of research in the department, Dr Stephen Taylor said.
He said the data collected so far only pertained to certain grades and learning areas, but it was likely the effects may be similar throughout other cohorts, including early childhood development.
The delay in resuming the academic year will have long-lasting effects on the country’s education system as well as society in general, Taylor said.
More children of a school-going age have not been attending classes at their respective institutions, according to a National Income Dynamics Study-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile (Nids-Cram) survey.
– African News Agency