GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - The 2021 Systemic Tests, conducted on schools in the Western Cape in October 2021, have revealed a "devastating" impact of Covid-19 restrictions on education, according to Western Cape Education Minister Debbie Schäfer.

In a statement issued on 27 February, Schäfer says the Systemic Tests provide the clearest, internationally benchmarked and independent analysis of learning losses suffered by the learners in the province. "Unfortunately, the results are dire."

Overall, learners have fallen up to 70% of a school year behind previous cohorts in Language, and up to 106% of a year behind in Mathematics.

The 2021 results are seen in comparison to tests conducted in 2019, as testing could not take place in 2020.

"The greatest learning losses can be seen in the Foundation Phase. We have always maintained that the loss of contact (face-to-face) teaching time would affect our youngest learners the most as they do not have the same self-discipline, maturity or structure that our older learners would have to cope with rotating timetables and learning at home," said Schäfer.

Administrative data from Temporary Revised Education Plans (TREPs) show that between closures and rotating timetables, 155 school days were lost in 2020 and 2021 in our province.

She said while the Western Cape is the only province to conduct such tests, it is an indication of what the effects of this pandemic are on learners across South Africa.

"While we had previously made great progress with a steady increase in performance in years preceding 2020, these gains have unfortunately been reversed as a result of the pandemic."

Schäfer said the test data has enabled the department to begin developing appropriate remedial programmes to address these losses.

"The WCED is studying these results and accompanying diagnostics with a focus on updating its learning recovery plans to address these losses. We already have a number of programmes underway to improve literacy and numeracy, which we are looking at expanding.

In 2021 the WCED put a structured Language approach in place in all three Western Cape Home Languages based on the Science of Reading. The Department is now looking at ways to incorporate extra time for Reading, Writing and Mathematics in the Foundation Phase.

"Most importantly, the extent of learning loss needs to be determined at the classroom level by the teacher. The diagnostics emanating from the systemic testing will be presented as a useful aid to direct the teacher in planning learning programmes for the learners in specific skills and core competencies for each of the grades and subject areas.

"It is now more critical than ever that no person or organisation disrupts schooling. In addition to violating children’s constitutional rights, disruptions will only exacerbate the existing losses and put their futures in greater jeopardy. 

"I appeal to all the residents of the Western Cape not to let their personal, political, or commercial interests override our learners’ education. We all need to work together to recover from this pandemic," said Schäfer.

The results are as follows:

Grade 3: 

Grade 6: 

Grade 9: 

• Sound bite of minister Debbie Schäfer

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