Zoe Duby (Researcher, SAMRC; UCT)

Editorial Note: This piece highlights and discusses the impacts of COVID-19 and school closures on the educational experiences of adolescent girls and young women in six disctricts in South Africa.

 

Background to the Issue

School drop-out and poverty

Even prior to the pandemic, around 60% of young South Africans drop out of school, with no school-leaving qualification, with considerable variation across provinces, household income quantiles and population groups. There is a correlation between falling behind at school, being absent from school, and dropping out of school, which is in turn associated with socio-economic status and school quality. School drop-out is correlated with being female, low family socio-economic status, population group/ethnicity, poor school facilities and infrastructure, low quality schooling, household responsibilities and household head’s level of education.^1-3

School drop-out and gender

Gender related vulnerabilities and inequalities place female learners at high risk of school disengagement due to COVID-19 disruptions.^4,5 A gender gap in digital literacy means that adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are more likely than their male counterparts to have experienced learning losses during the pandemic due to gender disparities in accessing and benefiting from online learning, including social inequalities and technological constraints.⁵

Context: COVID-19 and school closures

In line with policies adopted globally, the closure of schools and other educational institutions implemented on 18th of March 2020 was a key component of the South African government’s strategy for limiting transmission of COVID-19.⁶ Globally, the sudden closure of schools and education institutions as a response to COVID-19 has resulted in rapid and dramatic shifts to replace in-person teaching with various forms of technology based, remote and distance education.⁴

COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of remote learning in South Africa, but access to the internet nationwide is not universal, with socio-economically disadvantaged communities facing various barriers to accessing fast, reliable, and affordable internet solutions.⁷ In an effort to continue the provision of education during school closures, the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) made attempts to fill the gap for those learners unable to access online learning, through the multi-media COVID-19 Learner Support programme with the aim of rolling-out accessible virtual learning for students across South Africa. 

Our study

We examined the effects that COVID-19 and lockdowns have had on the educational experiences of AGYW aged 15-24, in six districts of South Africa characterised by high rates of HIV, teenage pregnancy and socio-economic hardship. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 515 AGYW, and qualitative interviews with 50 AGYW.

What we found

More than half of survey participants enrolled in education had been unable to continue with their studies. Factors associated with educational disruption included low socio-economic status, lack of cell phone access and household food insecurity. Qualitative narratives included challenges with online learning and studying at home in resource restricted settings, and insufficient support from schools and teachers. However, despite multiple barriers to continuing education, some AGYW demonstrated educational resilience, enabled by psychosocial and structural support, and resource access. 

Unequal access to technology and internet for online learning - the digital divide

Our findings reveal that due to contexts of poverty and lack of access to resources in the study communities, limited access to internet and suitable devices, and high costs of data, studying online was not viable for many AGYW, which resulted in a substantial disruption in education. The most vulnerable AGYW were the most likely to experience educational disruption: those in the lowest (poorest) SES category, those who were orphaned, those who had no cell phone access, those who had experienced household food insecurity. Qualitative narratives included descriptions of various barriers to continuing education during school closures, for example home environments not being conducive to studying due to distractions and obligations such as household and childcare responsibilities, and lack of appropriate technology and internet connection to enable online learning. Despite the various challenges and disruptions to education, some AGYW demonstrated educational resilience, maintaining motivation to study, adapting to online learning, and capitalising on available resources and support. 

High levels of inequity in online learning accessibility mean that the reality is that online learning is not a feasible solution for most South African students.^2,8 Learners from socio-economically disadvantaged households are unable to afford e-learning technologies necessary for remote learning. Our data showed that resource disparity was not only an issue at the household and individual learner level, but also at the institutional level. AGYW described how their schools also had restricted resources, and not all schools were able to offer remote learning to learners. Disparity between government schools and private schools in South Africa was glaring even before COVID-19, the majority of schools in South Africa insufficiently prepared and resourced for online teaching.⁹ Disparities have increased yet further. Learners from under-resourced schools are less able to benefit from online learning.

Resource disparity at South African educational institutions has historical roots in the apartheid system, and the inequalities in educational outcomes between social and material resources at fee-paying and no-fee schools, between wealthy learners and poorer learners, were already stark prior to the advent of COVID-19.^1,10 Lack of access to online learning compounds pre-existing inequalities in the education system in South Africa, further entrenching the intergenerational cycle of poverty.¹¹ 

School drop-out and attrition

Data from our survey revealed that a substantial proportion of AGYW dropped out of education in 2020, and that the most socio-economically vulnerable AGYW were the most at risk of discontinuing education. 

The effects of school closures jeopardise gains made in learning outcomes and educational attainment observed over recent years, exacerbating the pre-existing challenges in the South African education system.⁴ A key concern is the disengagement of learners from education through school attrition and drop-out, particularly amongst female learners, most especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are disproportionately affected by school closures and drop-outs.^4,11 Dropping out of school has significant consequences for the life trajectories of AGYW.¹¹ Adolescents and young people who drop out of school are more likely to have limited earning potential, chronic unemployment, lower socio-economic status, and more likely to engage in risk behaviours.^2,11

Educational resilience

Alongside AGYW narratives describing challenges with education, there were also narratives of resilience. Some AGYW found ways of coping, remaining motivated and focused, demonstrating resourcefulness and creativity, in order to reduce disruption to their education and not fall behind. Some respondents described receiving assistance with studying from other people at home, such as parents or partners. Understanding the factors that bolster or enable resilience, distinguishing resilient learners from non-resilient learners, could inform the design of educational interventions.¹² These multi-level factors enabling resilience are likely to exist at the individual, family, school, structural and socio-economic levels.¹²

Implications for policy and practice

Structural supports need to be in place, in order reduce disruptions to education, and mitigate the negative impacts of school closures. The vast majority of school-age children in the country have experienced severe interruptions in their education due to multiple deprivations including food and income insecurity, challenging home environments, and a lack of access to appropriate technology and internet connection.¹¹ The closure of schools and tertiary institutions has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable and marginalised children, adolescents and young people, worsening existing disparities and educational inequity within the South African education system.

Access to technology and internet connectivity among South African learners is not equal, and therefore the majority of learners in the country, especially those from poor communities, in households where internet access is poor (or non-existent), who are already disadvantaged, have great difficulty accessing online learning.¹¹ Inequitable access to the internet, reliable and unlimited connectivity, digital infrastructure and access to devices suitable for learning, has exacerbated and widened pre-existing social inequalities. 

Conclusions

Our findings lend support to an emerging evidence base showing that pre-existing inequalities in South Africa are being exacerbated by the closure of educational institutions as a response to the COVID-19 crisis. The closure of schools and tertiary institutions, combined with challenging home environments, and a lack of access to appropriate technology, has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable AGYW, exacerbating pre-existing educational inequalities within the South African education system. Addressing structural drivers of school dropout and the ‘digital divide’ and barriers to educational equity, particularly in the pandemic context, including access of technology and the internet, is urgent.

Read the full paper:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2022.856610/full

For more details on the study:

 https://www.samrc.ac.za/intramural-research-units/HealthSystems-HERStory

Image sources

https://www.ncsd.school/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=780071&type=d&pREC_ID=1846113

https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2021/02/20/cartoons-about-teaching-during-covid-19/

 

References

1. South African Child Gauge 2018. Cape Town: Children's Institute, University of Cape Town.

2. StatsSA. (2019). General Household Survey 2018. Statistics South Africa. Pretoria. 

3. Wils, A., Sheehan, P., & Shi, H. (2019). Better Secondary Schooling Outcomes for Adolescents in Low- and Middle- Income Countries: Projections of Cost-Effective Approaches. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65, S25-S33.

4. UNESCO (2021). A snapshot of educational challenges and opportunities for recovery in Africa.

5. Van der Berg, S., Van Wyk, C. & Selkirk, R. (2020). Schools in the time of COVID-19: Possible implications for enrolment, repetition and dropout. Stellenbosch Economic Working Papers: WP20/2020. ReSEP (Research on Socio-Economic Policy). DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA.

6. Nwosu, C.O. (2021). Childcare and depression during the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa: A gendered analysis. National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM)

7. Oluka, A., Musaigwa, M., Nomlala, B. (2021). Understanding the Experience of Accounting Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 15(7) 637-649.

8. Pillay, I. (2021). The impact of inequality and COVID-19 on education and career planning for South African children of rural and low-socioeconomic backgrounds. African Journal of Career Development, 3(1), a36. https://doi.org/10.4102/ ajcd.v3i1.36 

9. Nel., C. & Marais, E. (2020). Preservice teachers use of WhatsApp to explain subject content to school children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special Issue. Responding to COVID-19: Exploration and expansion of good practice of work-integrated learning. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, Special Issue, 2020, 21(5), 629-641

10. Spaull, N. (2015). Schooling in South Africa: How Low Quality Education Becomes a Poverty Trap. in De Lannoy A, Swartz S, Lake L & Smith C (eds). Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.

11. Children and COVID-19 advocacy brief series. Cape Town: Children's Institute, University of Cape Town (2021).

12. Waxman, H. C, Gray, J. P, & Padron, Y. N. (2003). Review of Research on Educational Resilience. UC Berkeley: Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7x695885.

 

Author Biography

Zoe Duby is a qualitative social science researcher in the field of sexual and reproductive health. Her research focuses on the social dynamics and contexts in which sexual behaviour and sexual decision making are situated. Zoe's passion lies in health equity, and sexual and reproductive wellbeing and rights. Her recent work with the South African Medical Research Council has centred around adolescent girls and young women in South Africa.

Email: zoe.duby@uct.ac.za