South African institutions built under apartheid in predominantly black townships and rural areas are the least well equipped to cope with the pandemic, with poor internet access, crowded classrooms and sparse amenities
JOHANNESBURG - When Zinzi Lerefolo was sent home from her fee-paying girls’ school in a leafy Johannesburg suburb in March, her family set up a virtual classroom that allowed her to continue studying uninterrupted.
The country remains one of the world’s most economically divided, with the top 10% of households owning 71% of the wealth, according to World Bank data from 2018. Schools were supposed to have resumed this week, but some teachers and unions argued it was not safe to do so until the government did more to ensure employees were safe from COVID-19.
“We still have ... two South Africas living side by side,” said Nic Spaull, an education expert at Stellenbosch University in Western Cape province. “The two schooling systems have de-racialised, but you still have two systems.”International Telecommunication Union data shows just 22% of households have a computer in South Africa, while 60% have internet access.
“It wasn’t really an issue going online,” she told Reuters, taking a break in her lounge with a view of the pool outside, before positioning her phone for a virtual art class.
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