15 April 2021

During the introduction of home based learning, many parents, especially those with children taking national exams, worried whether the children would be prepared to take these exams. Others were equally stressed about supporting their children in other ways.

The first task for teachers was to ensure students could access lesson packages online. Some students had difficulty understanding the online slide presentations and many teachers also faced a steep learning curve in the initial weeks of full home-based learning. They had to quickly familiarise themselves with and curate quality learning resources for students.

Besides facilitating daily lessons, teachers also had to monitor the well-being of every student. As students are not required to be online all the time, and online meetings between teachers and students took place only once or twice a week, teachers had to phone students to check on their well-being.

One year on, teachers, students and parents are more adept and confident in the use of digital tools.