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South Africa: More Than 600 000 Children With Disabilities Must Be Part of Nation Building

Charles Molele
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South Africa: More Than 600 000 Children With Disabilities Must Be Part of Nation Building

THE Human Rights Watch estimates that 600 000 South African children with disabilities were not at school last year, an indictment on our society which needs every child to participate in nation building, University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said.

Phakeng was delivering the introductory address on the first of the two-day Teaching Empowerment for Disability Inclusion (TEDI) symposium webinar. This was held virtually on 15 and 16 July.

The TEDI project in the Division of Disability Studies in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, in the Faculty of Health Sciences, is a partnership with Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM) and co-funded by the European Union (EU). Associate Professor Judith McKenzie is head of the division and TEDI’s principal investigator. The project works in close partnership with the universities of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Pretoria; national and provincial education departments; special schools; and NGOs.

The webinar brought together teachers, disability activists, parents, government, academia and representatives of the EU and CBM. Among the participants was new UCT Council member Marlene le Roux, an advocate for disability rights.

Protests all about inclusion

Recent protests around the world, such as Black Lives Matter, were all about inclusion, Phakeng added, “disrupting old systemic attitudes and dismantling prejudices”.

“They’re about including people who have been marginalised in one way or another. Inclusivity means opening up minds and hearts across society, to bring lasting transformation to the ways we relate to each other.”

She said that TEDI worked to achieve the same goals for children born with disabilities and that the country’s poor record in achieving this was out of line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as our Constitution and the goals of the Education White Paper on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System.

Figures from the Department of Basic Education show that 24.6% of people with disabilities aged 20 and above had either no schooling or only some form of primary schooling, Phakeng said.

“Like all children, they need education,” she continued, citing the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report. This states that children with disabilities are particularly at risk of exclusion from education.

“To help children with disabilities interact with society and culture, teachers and parents need to be empowered.”

“To help children with disabilities interact with society and culture, teachers and parents need to be empowered to help them live and grow in schools and the wider community,” said Phakeng.

Education focused on inclusivity

Phakeng was a teacher herself and knows the importance of inclusivity in education. She began her career in the Department of Education and Training as a mathematics subject advisor and developed in-service training programmes with senior primary mathematics teachers. She also taught mathematics in high school. In 2008 she co-chaired a study on mathematics and language diversity, commissioned by the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and was the first black South African researcher to do so.

To ensure their resources are widely available, TEDI has developed short, face-to-face courses and accompanying massive open online courses (MOOCs) for educators, focusing on: disability studies in education; the education and care of learners with severe to profound intellectual disabilities; teaching learners with visual impairment; and teaching learners who are deaf or hard of hearing.

“And in South Africa, enrolments for these MOOCs had surged since the onset of COVID-19.”

Phakeng said these online courses had reached more than 8 700 people in countries as diverse as the United States, India, Canada, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Singapore and Russia. And in South Africa, enrolments for these MOOCs had surged since the onset of COVID-19.

Accredited research unit

The vice-chancellor said that UCT would continue their work in the field through an accredited research unit, Including Disability Education in Africa (IDEA). This will provide in-depth analysis of TEDI’s data on teacher empowerment, disability inclusion, and the overall landscape of teacher education to support disability inclusion.

IDEA will also conduct comparative studies of inclusive education in the global south, largely driven by research students from other African countries, building capacity across the continent.

Following on, Dr Moses Simelane, chief director (curriculum implementation and monitoring) in the Department of Basic Education, said the department had been guided by Sustainable Development Goal 4. This provided strategic direction for education systems around the world, aiming at inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all.

In South Africa, this means developing teachers in the use of inclusive practices and ensuring they’re able to provide differentiated approaches to education that include children with disabilities.

“At basic education [level] we need to develop an inclusive education system that will contribute towards the development of skills, knowledge and practices for individuals with special education needs.”

The department had worked closely with McKenzie and her team over the years to develop a teacher education programme that would empower our teachers to accommodate diverse learners in the classroom. This included special care centres for learners with severe to profound intellectual disability.

Simelane said that UCT’s MOOCs had been invaluable in helping teachers and caregivers around the country access resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim, he said, was to ensure that no child is left behind.

(Source: UCT)

COVID-19: There Is A Silver Lining To This Dark Cloud, Says Ramaphosa

Charles Molele
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COVID-19: There Is A Silver Lining To This Dark Cloud, Says Ramaphosa

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

THE old saying that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ comes to mind when I think about the resilience and ingenuity shown by South Africans during the past three months.
 
This ingenuity is being demonstrated by young entrepreneurs as our country is battling the spread of the coronavirus that has brought about fundamental changes to our way of life and doing business.
 
As a number of social partners, including government, business, trade unions, community based organisations, economists and political parties, are involved in crafting a new vision for a post-COVID-19 dispensation, a new breed of young entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunities that are opening up as we seek to deal with a new normal in our lives.
 
The coronavirus is a dark cloud that is hanging over the lives of South Africans and the economic fortunes of our country. South Africa is not alone. Many countries are experiencing harsh economic challenges. Like many countries, we have responded through an economic and social assistance package, worth R500 billion. But we also know that we need to evolve a clear vision and strategic plan that will help us chart our way beyond the impact of COVID-19.
 
This vision and strategic plan will of necessity have to be a durable and effective social compact among social partners.
 
As much as COVID-19 hangs over our country, there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. As much as we have to face enormous difficulties and challenges, such as rising unemployment and poverty, there are a number of opportunities that we need to look out for to undo the harsh consequences of coronavirus.
 
There are a number of South Africans who are searching for the silver lining.
 
I am very pleased at the combination of foresight, creativity and business acumen displayed by a number of young South Africans who are coming up with home-grown solutions to the contemporary challenges we face.
 
Some have started small business ventures because of personal circumstances, like losing their jobs. Others who were previously unemployed have seized the opportunity provided by the pandemic to create their own income.
 
The story of Cloudy Deliveries in Langa, Cape Town, is testimony to the power of a good idea. A group of youth run a bicycle delivery service ferrying goods from the shops to the homes of residents in the township. During the lockdown, they have focused their operations on doing shopping for the elderly who have been encouraged to remain at home. They earn an income and at the same time provide a much-needed service to the community.
 
Then there is 28-year-old Election Xitsakiso Baloyi from Mankweng in Limpopo, whose pizza-making hobby turned into a fully-fledged business after his family started posting pictures of his creations on social media. With the lockdown preventing people from eating out, he got an avalanche of queries from community members asking if he was selling his pizzas.
 
Now his business, Rabbit’s Pizza, started with his savings of just R1,000 and the baking pans in his kitchen, employs nine other young people and delivers not just in Mankweng but also in nearby Nwamitwa and Giyani. He says he plans to open new outlets in other rural communities in the near future, and to employ more young people in his area who are without work.
 
To meet the increasing demand for personal protective equipment, a number of small businesses have been established to manufacture masks, visors and face-shields to supply to businesses and communities.
 
Ponani Shikweni, 32, from Alexandra township in Gauteng has repurposed her linen manufacturing business to produce face masks. She now employs 35 people, most of whom are under 25. She produces more than 1,000 masks a day to order. Her business has already distributed over 20,000 cloth masks for free to residents of Alexandra.
 
To keep the nation’s spirits up during the lockdown, our country’s young artists and musicians have taken their talents online, resulting in new business opportunities. One such artist is 18-year-old Judy Jay, a DJ and rising star from Sekhukhune. Her watch parties during the lockdown have attracted the attention of major local and international radio stations, enabling her to promote and grow her brand.
 
The creative and enterprising spirit of these and many more young people that has been brought to the fore during the pandemic must be harnessed and supported.
 
Even in our darkest hour, we must look to these green shoots of renewal. They are the silver lining to the dark COVID-19 cloud
 
Our economic recovery cannot wait until the coronavirus pandemic is over. It needs to start now.
 
One of the defining developments during the lockdown was how businesses in the townships and rural areas came into their own as people were not able to travel around much. In more ways than one, small and medium enterprises in the townships and rural areas have been able to keep our people supplied with the daily necessities. This demonstrates the resilience of small and medium enterprises during a period of great distress in our country. The capacity and ability of these SMMEs shot to the fore.
 
We have seen in this pandemic how dependent urban areas are on informal food systems, and how important the informal sector is to livelihoods across the country. We have seen the grave inequalities in access to health care, to savings and even to information and connectivity.
 
To enable these businesses to thrive we must tackle the barriers to entrepreneurship.
 
The concentration of markets and capital in large firms limits the potential of small businesses. Then there is spatial inequality, which concentrates poverty in particular parts of our cities, towns and villages. Entrepreneurs in these areas find it difficult to raise the funds to launch and grow businesses and are often far away from the markets where they can sell their products.
 
It is not enough simply to urge individuals to take advantage of opportunities or to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit among our youth. We need instead to deliberately build township and rural economies.
 
As part of our effort to build a new economy out of this pandemic, we must create the conditions that will enable every individual to thrive in a society that supports, nurtures and helps them to succeed.
 
Small businesses present the greatest growth opportunity for our economy and are a major source of job creation. In such challenging times, when many have lost their jobs and the unemployed have found it even harder to eke out an existence, we must act with renewed urgency to support these businesses.
 
When it comes to the township and rural economy, this means providing access to finance for entrepreneurs and the self-employed. We have made great progress in extending support to 1,000 youth-owned businesses since the State of the Nation Address in February. We will reach this target by International Youth Day on 12 August, despite the delays caused by the lockdown.
 
It also means expanding access to affordable and high-speed broadband internet, and supporting new technologies – including successful aggregation platforms like SweepSouth or Kandua – which link small businesses to demand.
 
It means backing areas of opportunity such as in early childhood development, the food economy and the green economy.
 
During the lockdown, we have extended support to SMMEs in the form of loans, grants and debt restructuring. The COVID-19 UIF Relief Scheme has now disbursed R26 billion to more than 6 million workers across all types of business. The R200 billion loan guarantee scheme is being adjusted to make it easier for applicants to receive funding quickly.
 
Through the work of the Department of Small Business Development and its agencies, the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and other initiatives, we are placing the township and rural economy at the centre of our reconstruction effort.
 
Whether it is a vendor selling their wares at a taxi rank, a small internet cafe providing vital services like connectivity and printing, or home industries and mobile wagons selling food, these businesses are a lifeline to both urban and rural communities. They are a means of livelihood for their owners and more often than not employ others from the same community.
 
Through the Township Entrepreneurship Fund we aim to support township businesses with skills development and access to markets and infrastructure. Although its launch has been delayed by the lockdown, we will put it front and centre as we now begin the arduous task of rebuilding our economy.
 
International experience has shown that a country that invests in and supports small businesses stimulates economic activity and increases opportunities for self-employment. This is our path to growth.
 
The many innovative businesses that have been started during this pandemic have showcased the potential of our people and our young people in particular.
 
It is our duty as government, business and society as a whole to lend our full support to them on their journey towards self-sufficiency and financial sustainability – both to protect the jobs we have and to replace those we have lost.
 
At the same time, this is a rallying cry to other young people out there to take the great leap of faith into self-employment. The best businesses come from good ideas that respond to a community need.
 
The experiences of these young people show the importance of not letting a good opportunity go to waste; more so when there is a need for what you have to offer.
 
I call on young people, especially in townships, to take advantage of the opportunities on offer to guide them along the path towards entrepreneurship.
 
The conditions may not be ideal. The circumstances may not be perfect. But now is as good a time as ever to start. And you can be assured of our full support.

China’s Top University Sacks President Xi Jinping’s Critic

Charles Molele
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China’s Top University Sacks President Xi Jinping’s Critic

CHINA’s top university has sacked a law professor, who is a staunch critic of the ruling Chinese Communist Party leadership including the constitutional amendment facilitating indefinite tenure for President Xi Jinping by scrapping the two-term limit.

Xu Zhangrun, an outspoken Chinese law professor of the Tsinghua University, has been formally notified of his removal on Saturday, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Sunday.

The Tsinghua University, whose famous alumni include President Xi, has been listed as China’s number one university by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The notification, dated on Wednesday, was sent to Xu by courier, the report said quoting a friend who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.

The Tsinghua University, where 57-year-old Xu worked for 20 years, said it took the decision after a meeting on July 10.

Xu, a prominent legal scholar, is one of the very few academics to have publicly challenged the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership in recent years in a number of essays published online in China and overseas.

“We have verified that Xu Zhangrun has published many essays since July 2018 and it is a serious violation of the ’10 standards of professional conduct for teachers in tertiary institutes in the new era’,” the notification read.

The guidelines, issued by the Ministry of Education in 2018, said teachers would be fired or punished if they said or did anything that undermines the authority of the CPC or violated the directions and policies of the party.

Earlier this month, Xu was taken away by Chengdu police from his Beijing home. His wife was later informed that he was arrested for soliciting prostitutes while travelling to the capital of Sichuan province, a claim dismissed by Xu’s friends as an attempt to discredit him.

Xu was released last Sunday and he returned home after six days of detention.

In July 2108, Xu published his first criticism of the CPC leadership, which included one of the few public statements opposing the removal of presidential term limits, which allows Xi Jinping to stay in the post after 2023.

Xi, 67, who is also the head of the CPC and the military, is currently in his second term.

All of Xi’s predecessors, except party founder Mao Zedong abided by the two-five-year term norm aimed at preventing the perpetuation of one leader rule of the CPC and the country.

The five-year term norm was removed in 2018 by the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s Parliament, paving the way for a possible lifelong tenure for Xi at the helm.

Xu was suspended from teaching by Tsinghua in 2019, but he continued to write essays critical of the party leadership.

In February and May, Xu published two lengthy articles, openly criticising the CPC leadership for mishandling the coronavirus.

Using satire and a mixture of modern and classical Chinese, Xu lamented how the country was isolated and how the public were gagged by fear and big data surveillance, the Post report said.

He also published a number of shorter essays criticising the Chinese government in recent months.

The university told Xu that if he wanted to appeal against the sacking, he would have to go to the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Education Commission.

(Source: The Indian Express)

International Research Collaborations: How Can We Shift The Power Towards Africa?

Charles Molele
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International Research Collaborations: How Can We Shift The Power Towards Africa?

The higher education sector globally has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Academics have been discussing various aspects of the disruptions in a series of webinars organised by the University of Cape Town. One area of particular interest is how the pandemic could affect international research collaborations. The Conversation Africa’s Nontobeko Mtshali asked panellists to share their views.

Could COVID-19 change the power dynamics between African and foreign institutions when it comes to research collaboration?

Salome Maswime: There have been many successful global research collaborations. But there’s a long history of unequal partnerships and research collaborations between African institutions and research institutions from developed countries. African researchers have often described unequal power dynamics. These have been fuelled by what can be described as a top-down approach, a sense of tokenism. There’s a sense that research agendas are driven by interests of collaborating centres instead of the needs of the communities involved.

One big change is that, prior to COVID-19, collaborators could travel to conduct research. But implementation is now dependent on the full buy-in of the local institution.

The pandemic has also compelled us to look for African solutions for Africa, and to ensure that we don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of important discoveries like vaccines and drug treatments.

Rifat Atun: COVID-19 will likely affect the power relationship between African and foreign institutions. To date this power relationship has been hugely imbalanced. It’s been in favour of research institutions from high-income countries at the expense of African researchers and institutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly revealed that research undertaken in African countries – and subsequent policies related to COVID-19 – are critical not just for Africa but for the world. What’s also apparent is the importance of local contexts in relation to the behaviour of the epidemic and responses to different policies. This has shown how necessary it is to have locally generated research led by researchers who understand local contexts.

The speed of the epidemic has made it imperative to quickly develop local capacity in Africa to lead and undertake research – and reduce dependence.

One adverse consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the economic crisis that has followed. This is likely to lead to reduced research funding for health. Another adverse effect is the greater national focus on self-sufficiency. It could risk undermining international collaborations.

Kevin Marsh: It could contribute to a change that long predates the pandemic and which has been gathering pace.

Historically, we’re all aware of the imbalance in many such relationships. This reflects a structural consequence of colonialism, in terms of where money and scientific expertise and decision making were centred.

This has in fact begun to change markedly over the last few years. There are now many more researchers on the continent beginning to exercise their autonomy and leadership. The centre of gravity is changing in relation to defining African research priorities and funding.

Similarly, there are plenty of international collaborators who recognise and support these changes.

Other factors include the fact that, unlike Ebola, collaboration cannot involve a mass influx of collaborators from “outside”. Another is that there has been real synergy between continental organisations in setting priorities. These include the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa and the African Academy of Sciences.

How could things change?

Salome Maswime: This could lead to collaborations that are truly lateral with all collaborators involved from the design phase of the project to completion.

Often organisations with funding have the means to set up research sites and to employ research staff, with little buy-in and minimal engagement from the stakeholders in collaborating institutions. With virtual communication, there’s more transparency and more visibility. And no excuse for lack of representation.

The African community has also taken a keen interest in science, collaborations, equity and ethics with COVID-19. This could lead to more community engagement with research. It could also see greater effort at improving science communication. Curiosity about the safety of vaccines and drug trials, the risks in Africa and the credibility of the organisations involved are examples of how science has become a priority on the continent.

Rifat Atun: The change could be positive. It can empower African research institutions and enable the development of local research capacity that can design, implement and evaluate large research studies in Africa and beyond.

The new environment gives Africa the opportunity to lead local research and development using local capacity rather than being a “venue” for research for researchers from high-income countries who all too often take the credit for the studies. Africa must develop research and development capacity and transition to greater self-sufficiency in critical supplies of vaccines, medicines and health products.

Does COVID-19 open possibilities that didn’t exist before?

Salome Maswime: With the acceleration of virtual communication there’s been wider engagement locally and more South-South partnerships forming. Previously we’d rely on funding for meetings to engage on research projects. But more scientific groups are being formed virtually to respond to COVID-19 and local challenges.

There are also opportunities to increase research capacity and training through online education. Over the past eight weeks, hundreds of South Africans have attended live webinars run by Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, on postgraduate research methods. This is a great example of an approach to research that inspires and empowers aspiring researchers.

After the pandemic we have an opportunity to form truly lateral partnerships driven by the needs of African communities.

Rifat Atun: There’s an opportunity to establish regional and continent-wide research networks to undertake research in Africa. There’s also the opportunity to be part of international and global studies and lead them.

Kevin Marsh: There is a sudden increase in funding – so in that sense the answer is yes. But more positively and importantly, we’re seeing that the response from the scientific community on the continent in taking leadership has been strong. So in many ways COVID-19 has revealed this rather than caused it.

(Source: The Conversation)

US: What Will High School Sports Look Like When They Resume?

Charles Molele
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US: What Will High School Sports Look Like When They Resume?

THE challenges, to be sure, are significant. But there are encouraging signs for the return of high school sports in Maine despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Maine has avoided the surge in COVID-19 cases currently sweeping the South and Southwest.

Hospitalizations across the state are low, and Maine has the lowest estimated virus reproduction rate in the country. Some parts of the state outside the more populated Cumberland and York counties have seen few positive cases.

On Friday, the Maine Department of Education outlined a plan that it hopes can get students and teachers back to school – or, in some cases, result in a hybrid mix of remote and in-person learning.

And, the Maine Principals’ Association said Friday it’s still planning for high school sports this fall, even in the wake of the University of Maine and other colleges in the state shutting down their athletic programs.

The MPA, which governs the state’s interscholastic activities, has introduced the early stages of a four-phase plan for resuming sports, beginning with in-person conditioning workouts in small groups in July.

But details for the third and fourth phases still have to be formulated.

The DOE’s county-by-county plan for reopening schools adds another layer of complexity to revamping what was always going to be an abnormal, at best, season this fall.

Based on interviews with educators and officials in Maine and other parts of the nation, and by looking at how other states are approaching the restart of high school sports, here are seven ways the impact of the pandemic is likely to be felt once interscholastic sports resume:

1. Administrators must prepare for COVID-19 infections.

Based on the Maine DOE’s red-yellow-green COVID risk assessment plan, if a county is designated “red,” then schools will be operating completely remotely. MPA Executive Director Mike Burnham said Friday that would mean no sports at all in those counties.

Regardless of the number of schools able to participate in high school sports this fall, there are likely to be disruptions because of COVID-19 infections. That’s already happened in one state.

Iowa plays high school baseball and softball during the summer, and opted to do so again this year with a delayed start. At least 25 baseball teams and 20 softball teams – roughly 7 percent of all teams – have had to cancel games because of players or coaches testing positive. As of Friday, 10 softball and 12 baseball teams had ended their season prematurely because of COVID cases, several of which were reported in the final week of the regular season. The state playoffs start this weekend.

“More and more schools are dropping out. The top-ranked (baseball) team in the state had to shut down this past week,” said Scott Garvis, the athletic director at Ankeny Centennial High. Garvis has been communicating with athletic directors and coaches in Maine throughout the summer via a series of Zoom meetings set up by Thornton Academy Athletic Director Gary Stevens, called the Pandemic Project.

“I always tell my coaches, we are one person, one case, away from being shut down,” Garvis said.

Maine, with a population of 1.3 million, is seeing a much lower incidence rate of new cases (a seven-day average of 18 per day) compared to Iowa (seven-day average of 419 new cases per day as of July 14 in a state of 3.15 million).

So perhaps team-wide quarantines will be rare in Maine.

To think it won’t happen at all is unrealistic, however.

When one case happens, be it in an academic or athletic setting, closures and quarantining will take place, said Yarmouth Schools Superintendent Andrew Dolloff in the Pandemic Project’s most recent conference call on Monday.

“I’m still waiting to see specific guidance, but I’m anticipating that if a person tests positive, it will mean a closing down of at least a school, or a district, for a specified amount of time – I’m hearing from two to five days – and the quarantining of those students,” Dolloff said.

2. Even with a green light, the season could be shorter.

On Thursday, New York state’s high school association announced it will delay the start of fall sports until Sept. 21, and also canceled regional and state championships. Vermont is also planning a later start. The MPA’s Burnham said Friday a later start is a possibility in Maine.

Even though the MPA approved in-person, conditioning-focused activities between coaches and players starting on July 6, school superintendents in southern Maine and several other areas of the state are not allowing those interactions before Aug. 3.

The MPA, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and athletic directors in Maine are also emphasizing the need for going through a series of multi-week “phases” to ensure safety and conditioning of the athletes before competition begins.

For superintendents, the No. 1 goal is getting the academic year started. Sports are secondary. And, what they don’t want is to have a COVID outbreak during a preseason practice session, as happened in Lake Zurich, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where 36 confirmed cases were reported among participants in a high school sports camp.

“We’re wondering about the timing of athletics, of having kids coming back to participation in fall sports, ahead of when we start in-person education and how is that is going to impact us,” said Kevin Jordan, the superintendent of AOS 94, which includes Dexter High in Penobscot County. Jordan said many districts in Penobscot County are waiting until Aug. 6 to begin activities.

The MPA also has taken a cautious tack. Back in May, Dr. William Heinz, the chair of the MPA’s Sports Medicine Committee said, “Our approach from the MPA is that, we’re going to be more careful. We don’t care if someone looks back a year from now and says we were way too cautious. I’d rather have that than someone get sick and a whole team exposed.”

3. The closer the contact, the greater jeopardy for sports to be played.

Earlier this month, New Mexico’s governor ordered high school football and soccer to be played next spring instead of this fall. Virginia’s high school sports organization came out with three possible scenarios on Tuesday for rearranging sports seasons in 2020-21. None of them included football in the fall. Conversely, state athletic associations in Utah and Pennsylvania have declared they will go forward with their full, regular fall sports schedules.

Football’s larger roster sizes, close contact on every single play, and use of cramped, poorly ventilated locker rooms present problems.

 “I don’t see how you can do football and do true social distancing the way we understand now,” said Marshwood football coach Alex Rotsko.

The U.S. Centers of Disease Control, the NFHS, and several individual state organizations have outlined which sports carry the highest risk of transmission of the virus during competition. (The MPA has yet to establish its own risk-factor chart.) While there are slight variances, football is always in the high-risk category. The NFHS document goes through a three-phase approach to returning to play. Only in the third phase does it recommend “modified” practices for high-risk sports. There is no guidance for when games in those sports should begin.

It’s not just football that’s at risk this fall. Soccer and field hockey are also sports where opposing players are in close proximity to one another. And in those sports, the play is continuous, with players breathing heavily as they run up and down the field. Coronavirus has been shown to be predominantly spread by airborne respiratory droplets.

While clearly there are differences in travel, team demographics, and adult supervision between high school sports and college sports, it is hard to ignore the flurry of colleges suspending fall sports and stating an intent to try to play football and soccer in the spring of 2021.

4. Transportation challenges will be even greater.

There will be no more piling onto a school bus with both the varsity and JV soccer team – not with CDC recommendations that only 14 people should be on a standard bus.

Even before the pandemic, transportation could be a nightmare. Waynflete Athletic Director Ross Burdick said in the past he’s had to send buses to an opponent’s school so that a sub-varsity team could travel to Waynflete. Freeport AD Craig Sickels said having only three buses available for all after-school activities on a given day is the norm.

With COVID restrictions, Sickels is among many athletic directors who would support a switch to geography-based scheduling to reduce travel time. New York, in its recent announcement, is encouraging that strategy. At this point, the MPA is not endorsing regional schedules, in part because of concern that it would be too hard for smaller, rural schools to find opponents.

Schools are going to have to rely on parents to help with transportation, or ask bus drivers to make multiple trips to one short-distance site if they intend to maintain full varsity and junior varsity programs. Getting more buses isn’t a realistic option.

“In rural Maine, we have a hard enough time finding bus drivers, and to find three or four more is a real challenge,” said Jordan, the superintendent in Dexter.

5. Restarting sports during a pandemic adds extra costs.

Athletic departments are going to need personal protective equipment and sanitizer to keep students, coaches and staff safe. They will need signage around every field telling people where they can and can’t sit. Garvis, the athletic director from Iowa, says he’s needed extra game personnel to enforce the rules. It’s all going to cost money.

Gov. Janet Mills announced Friday that $165 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding that Maine has received will be designated for schools. The funding for schools is in addition to $44 million Maine already received to directly reimburse districts for coronavirus-related expenses. But Mills said more funding will be needed to fund all the safety requirements.

Jessica Hopgood, the certified athletic trainer for Sanford High, said she’s already ordered $3,000 worth of face masks, sanitizer and touchless sanitizer dispensers. She’s not sure how long that will last. What she hasn’t yet ordered, because she’s unsure she can afford to, are typical supplies like athletic tape.

Another potential cost could be hiring more coaches (if they can be found), or at least supervisory personnel, to allow small groups of players to work out separately during the season – especially if athletic programs want to maintain sub-varsity programs.

Why is that important? Garvis, the AD in Iowa, had to quarantine two of his sub-varsity baseball teams during the season. The only reason his varsity team wasn’t forced to also quarantine is because from the outset, Garvis kept teams isolated from one another.

Spectators wear masks while sitting socially distanced in their own lawn chairs during a travel-team basketball game at XL Sports World in Saco in June. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

6. Fans, the few that will be allowed at games, will have to adapt.

The Mills’ administration announced Friday that virtually all students and staff will be required to wear face masks when schools reopen. Coaches and players will wear masks when on the sidelines or benches – and fans are likely to be required to do the same, particularly for indoor events.

It’s also likely that attendance limits will have to be set. Maine has a 50-person limit on gatherings through at least the end of August. If that continues through the fall, what would a playoff game look and feel like?

Asked what advice he would offer to athletic directors, Dolloff said ADs need to start thinking about how they will monitor and appease fans. “Will you offer streaming of the games? Will it be parents only (at games)? What about stepparents?” Dolloff said.

7. Then comes winter.

Even if players, coaches, parents and fans can get through the fall season, the winter sports season could be even more challenging. All winter sports except skiing are indoors. Mask wearing and social distancing will become more important, even though much of the allure and excitement around sports like basketball and hockey involve playing in front of large, vocal crowds, with rambunctious student cheering sections.

Maine, and the nation, could be in a very different place when it comes to the virus.

Dan Schuster is the director of educational services for the NFHS. He joined a Pandemic Project Zoom meeting to discuss the organization’s online professional development course called “COVID-19 for Coaches and Administrators.”

 “COVID is making the rules here. Let’s not forget that,” Schuster said. “We’re trying to play the best that we can. We want to get all this information to the coaches and administrators, but every piece of content in the course could change.”

Still, Schuster is optimistic that high school sports can adapt.

“We’re seeing a lot of these college sports cancel, but high school sports are unique. We are community-based and we think just because the colleges and universities are canceling, it doesn’t mean the high schools have to follow that,” Schuster said. “We have to do what the virus essentially allows us to do.”

(Compiled by Portland Press Herald)

The Importance Of STEM In Post-COVID-19 Efforts In The Republic Of Congo

Charles Molele
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The Importance Of STEM In Post-COVID-19 Efforts In The Republic Of Congo

ON March 28, the Republic of Congo’s government took some radical measures to limit the spread of the new COVID-19 (coronavirus), including the closure of primary, secondary, tertiary, and technical-vocational schools.

A few weeks later, the government decided to consider the results of the first two quarterly to decide whether school age pupils will validate their year in order to avoid a gap year.

Moreover, for those pupils in exam classes, the government decided to provide courses on national radio and television.

However, for the universities and technical-vocational schools, the status remained unchanged. And, up to now, there are unfortunately still closed.  

COVID-19 has pointed out the Congo’s inability to ensure that learning never stops due to weak resilience of our educational program.

Moreover, today, as we commemorate World Youth Skills Day, we celebrate the importance of equipping young Congolese and young Africans with resilient skills.

Those skills will allow them to secure decent work, employment, and entrepreneurship. In doing so, the Congo needs to adopt and leverage a multipronged approach influenced by technology, innovation, and collaboration.

Besides, distance learning within a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is one of the approaches to implement in the recovery efforts in post-COVID-19.   

Since the beginning of the COVID-19, engineers like me have been on the front line to cope with the effects of the virus, from the manufacture of the hydro-alcoholic gel, face shields using 3D printing technology, and ventilators to the implementation of telework solution and retail mobile applications.

Even post-COVID-19, engineers will continue to play a significant role in helping the Congo rebuild its economy.

For instance, to battle the learning crisis and counteract the effects of school closure, engineers will have to design new learning platforms and applications.

Also, regarding TVET, engineers will have to innovate to provide virtual learning experience using technology like augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation.

When it comes to the economy, engineers will have to develop new applications to make the mobile money payment more accessible and allow diaspora to send remittances easily so we can tend to a cashless economy. 

Therefore, the Congo must make a STEM a priority in order to build a resilient country.

It will consist of reshaping our educational system and orienting it toward a skill-oriented educational system where young Congolese will be equipped with tools and skills needed to not only enter the job market but also prepare for the disruption of the future of work.

Learning must become a lifelong process.  

Nevertheless, access to technology and the internet could be an obstacle in the quest to achieve resilience.

That is why the country needs to bridge the digital divide by investing in digital infrastructure to provide access to affordable and reliable broadband.  

In conclusion, COVID-19 has brought the Congo into uncertain times, but the hope is not lost.

Young Congolese engineers, by their different actions during this pandemic, are transforming the different challenges they are facing into opportunities.

Equipping youth with STEM and TVET skills will help them support recovery efforts and prepare them to mitigate future shocks or pandemics better.

(Source: WorldBank.org)

Sports Fanatic Morné Kymdell Is Our Teacher Of The Week

Charles Molele
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Sports Fanatic Morné Kymdell Is Our Teacher Of The Week

CLASSROOM CORNER

Teacher of the Week

Teacher: Morné Kymdell

School: Die Afrikaanse Hoërskool, Kroonstad, Free State

Sports fanatic Morné Kymdell, from Die Afrikaanse Hoërskool in Kroonstad in the Free State chose teaching because he has always loved sharing knowledge and experiences.

To Kymdell, the main challenge is effective managing of time and the holistic development of the learner.

As a teacher, he plays different roles such as cricket coach, rugby coach and hostel father.

Kymdell sees education as an opportunity to grow and his teaching is characterised by innovation and creativity.

He plans to make a difference on a higher level.

The National Teachers Award (NTA) has given him the opportunity to show people of different backgrounds that the country is united and this attitude needs to be shared with the learners.

(Compiled by Inside Education staff)

Government To Decide On Closing All Schools In South Africa: Report

Charles Molele
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Government To Decide On Closing All Schools In South Africa: Report

South Africa’s five major teacher unions have called for the immediate closure of all schools as coronavirus cases continue to surge.

This, they said, must apply to all grades until the end of August, which is when Covid-19 infections are expected to peak, the Sunday Times reported.

The unions said in a proposal document, that matric students should return on 17 August and that these students should be assisted in various ways while learning from home.

Other grades should only return at the end of August, subject to a review based on the development of the virus, the unions said.

Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga will now discuss these proposals with the cabinet, the paper reports.

Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga confirmed to the Sunday Times that a meeting of the Council of Education Ministers took place on Saturday (18 July). He said the the ministers’ engagement will be ‘announced in due course’.

“We wish to reiterate that it is the cabinet that will make the decision on whether schools close or remain open,” he said.

Minister Motshekga said this week that around 16,000 teachers have comorbidities, putting them at greater risk should they contract Covid-19.

(Source: BusinessTech)

High Court Orders Basic Education To Resume Schools’ Feeding Scheme For 9 Million Vulnerable Learners

Charles Molele
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High Court Orders Basic Education To Resume Schools’ Feeding Scheme For 9 Million Vulnerable Learners

THE Pretoria High Court has ordered the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to resume school’s nutrition programme to nearly 10 million eligible learners with immediate effect, regardless of whether they are back in class.

The matter was brought before the court by Equal Education, Section-27 and two Limpopo school governing bodies.

The applicants argued that the COVID-19 induced national lockdown did not serve as a basis to deprive pupils of their right to nutrition.

There had been mounting concerns that the lockdown period, and the consequent closure of schools exacerbated hunger among children in the country who received their only daily meals at school.

The school feeding scheme was suspended when schools shut down in March, and since that time the Department of Basic Education has failed to honour the promises it made to reinstate the programme and to ensure learners would not go hungry.

Equal Education and the two Limpopo school governing bodies were represented by Equal Education Law Centre and SECTION27, and counsel Geoff Budlender SC, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC and Thabang Pooe.

“We celebrate this victory for the over nine million learners in South Africa who depend on the NSNP for a nutritious meal every day, and for the many learners and caregivers who put their testimonies before the court,” the parties said in a joint statement. 

“We welcome the judgment for its recognition that the constitutional rights to basic nutrition and basic education are interdependent, and celebrate this as a victory not only for over nine million learners, but for the millions of households whose food security has been gravely compromised due to the Covid-19 necessitated lockdown. For learners to receive meals at school will ease the strain on caregivers – many of whom have lost their income and are struggling to put food on the table.”

The judgment also, in a supervisory interdict, ordered Motshekga and the Education MECs of eight provinces to file detailed plans and programmes for the resumption of the NSNP to all eligible learners within 10 days. Thereafter, the Minister and the MECs will be required to file updates with the court every 15 days to prove that the plans to provide meals to learners are actually being implemented.

In her judgment, Judge Poterrill reflected on the centrality of basic nutrition and the violation of learners’ rights in this regard: “Children are categorically vulnerable, poor hungry children are exceptionally vulnerable. The degree of the violation of the constitutional rights are thus egregious.”

(Compiled by Inside Education staff)

COVID-19 School Closures In South Africa And Their Impact On Children

Charles Molele
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COVID-19 School Closures In South Africa And Their Impact On Children

SERVAAS VAN DER BERG

WHEN the new coronavirus rapidly spread across the globe, evidence of its effect on children was still scanty and closing schools seemed the responsible thing to do.

Now that there is more evidence, my colleague Nic Spaull and I have investigated whether the gradual reopening of schools in South Africa is in the best interest of children.

We drew from many data sources and paid greatest attention to the accumulating evidence on the age patterns of infection and mortality around the globe.

The mortality risk for children of opening schools is low

Using StatsSA data for 2016, “regular” mortality risk in South Africa ranges from a 1-in-1,000 chance of dying aged 0-19 to a 1-in-7 chance for those aged 80 and older.

The most pessimistic scenarios for deaths from COVID-19 range up to 48,000 in 2020, considerably fewer than the 435,000 annual deaths in South Africa from “regular” causes.

Applying the Western Cape province’s COVID-19 age fatality distribution, we projected COVID-19 mortality for 2020 by age under the most pessimistic scenario. The risk of death from COVID-19 in 2020 ranges from a 1-in-76,878 chance (0.001%) for children under 19 years old to a 1-in-94 chance for those aged 80 and older.

Evidence from US schools and crèches that remained open during the lockdown for children of essential workers shows that infection rates of such children and teachers were not significantly higher than normal. Since our paper was written, both the American Association of Paediatricians and the South African Paediatric Associations have come out in strong support of reopening schools. The latter cites “mounting evidence” that transmission of the coronavirus by young children is uncommon, partly because they are less likely to contract it in the first place.

So after determining that the risks of schools reopening are extremely small for most children, it is worth considering the costs of continued closure of schools.

The costs of school closures

Even before the lockdown, 2.5-million children experienced hunger and almost a third of children who died were severely malnourished. Rapid surveys by StatsSA and the Human Sciences Research Council show increases in hunger since the lockdown, since many workers lost their income and children no longer received free school meals.

Recent international reviews show that lockdowns, school closures and natural disasters raise levels of substance abuse, depression, fear, loneliness, domestic violence and child abuse. Financial worries add stress to many households, raising levels of emotional exhaustion, depression and anxiety.

Recent surveys in many countries have shown that children are at higher risk of lasting psychological distress, including depression. For instance, after one month of school closures in Hubei – a province in Central China – a quarter of children between the ages of eight and 12 years old showed symptoms of depression.

By early August, South African children will have lost between 30 and 59 days of school, depending on their grade. It appears that many will attend only half the school days in the second half of the year because of how schools implement social distancing.

Teachers will not be able to complete the curriculum, leaving many gaps in children’s education. Poorer learners and schools are least able to catch up. International research shows that such learning losses could have lasting implications, even stretching into the labour market and affecting lifetime earnings.

Re-opening the economy while schools remain closed increases the risk of children being left home alone. If all employed workers returned to work, more than 2 million children aged 0-15 years would be left without an older sibling (15 years+) or an adult caregiver.

Of greatest concern are that almost one million children (974,000) below age six have no other adult caregiver except a working parent. Thousands of these children could be left home alone if their employed caregiver was forced to return to work to sustain the family. Even though most sectors of the economy have re-opened, early crèches and day-care centres remain closed.

Going forward

Reviewing the data on class sizes in South Africa in conjunction with government regulations and the spatial realities of South African classrooms, it’s clear that at least half of South African learners will not be able to practise social distancing within a classroom.

Teaching big classes outdoors would be difficult even without weather considerations.

Given that COVID-19 mortality risk is very low compared to regular mortality risk, and virtually non-existent for children, the Department of Basic Education should acknowledge that it’s not feasible for most South African schools to practise social distancing within the classroom. But it should require mask-wearing for older children and social distancing on the playground.

It’s our view that we should no longer keep children out of school.

The profound costs borne by children and families will be felt for at least the next 10 years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR|

Servaas van der Berg Professor of Economics and South African Research Chair in the Economics of Social Policy, Stellenbosch University.

(Source: The Conversation)

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