Class of 2020 down the drain

Tshepo Mmusi
Klerksdorp, Jouberton Township
30 July 2020

The year 2020 has been difficult for everyone and things are done differently due to Corona virus epidemic. After president Ramaphosa announced the state of disaster and declared the country to be on lockdown many thought that the process will only last for three months and after that things will get back to normal. Everything shut down, and schools were not spared either.

When the president announced that schools will reopen in June for grade 7 and 12 everyone thought that it was a step to the right direction. That was followed with civil unrest from trade unions, civil society groups and analysts citing that the department of is not ready and that it has not put mechanisms in place to ensure educators and learners safety. Media reports followed stating incidents of educators and pupils getting infected with high numbers. These forced the president to announce a sudden break for schools again. These leaves many questions unanswered.

Will we have a successful class of 2020. So far many learners missed out a lot on their classes and lessons. How do we expect learners who stopped going to school in March to pass to the next class? It has been five months since pupils have been to school especially learners who have been home since March. Do we expect them to proceed to the next classes next year? There is no hope that they will be able to go back to school anytime this year. Should we just accept that class of 2020 went down the drain? The future of young South Africans looks bleak from where I am sitting