Teachers and pupils across all schools deserve equal ‘norms and standards’, says experts
We come together united by a long-term commitment to education and rural development, to motivate that we approach the Covid-19 crisis as one that fundamentally combines health, the economy and education. We motivate to rapidly extend the stimulus package to make a massive once-off investment into equalising the basic resources of schooling, with an emphasis on primary schooling and early childhood development.We draw attention to another curve. We can call it the Ed-Curve.
In the top quintile of schools the global rules apply. Children from more wealthy homes have a statistically better chance of learning to read with meaning by the end of Grade 4. Children from less wealthy families have an uphill battle, but they still have a fighting chance. Taken together, 65% of children achieve the low international benchmark for Grade 4 reading.
The Department of Basic Education is working to build sustainable solutions. However, one starting point remains intractable. Teachers in rural schools do not have the basic resources that give them a fighting chance to succeed. In the past 10 days, we have observed rising public tensions as the DBE has grappled with how to safely open schools. The department has established “non-negotiable” pre- conditions for school opening. Despite assurances from the Minister of Basic Education, there is little trust among teachers and parents that their concerns have been heard.
While the detail of an educational stimulus plan lies beyond this call, we highlight a few elements below. Third, we need to invest quickly into building the online resources and capacities of rural schools. Middle-class teachers and parents are rapidly strengthening their capabilities to leverage online resources to support children. The shift to supplement traditional teaching with online resources will grow in the future. Without a radical investment into upgrading rural teachers, children in rural schools will again be left impossibly behind.
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