Covid-19 may have been a major setback for the education system in 2020
Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni
It was a difficult year for matrics and learners in 2020. Picture: Michel Bega
Not all schools and learners were able to adjust equally as learners from poor and working-class households were more heavily affected by Covid-19 disruptions to schooling.
The strides made in improving the education system have been impeded by conditions brought on by the government’s response to Covid-19.
This is according to Equal Education (EE) ahead of the expected release of the matric results for the class of 2020 on Monday.
Last year, the Deparment of Basic Education (DBE) estimated that 326 000 learners were unaccounted for since the start of the year. A clearer picture of the true extent of the dropout rate in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic will be shown after data on learners who returned to school this year is collected.