The Each One Teach One Foundation congratulates the Class of 2021 who wrote their matric examinations under difficult COVID conditions. As the Each One Teach One Foundation, we were aware that the class of 2021 have put in so many hours of study and dedicated themselves tirelessly, even when they were faced with societal disparities.
We have seen children of the privileged families being able to mitigate against the lockdowns and accessing education through alternate learning opportunities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds having no access to education during lockdowns. Lockdowns have disrupted conventional schooling as we know it and have made it difficult to maintain learning continuity.
Most grade 12 learners around the country were faced with an unfortunate situation with load-shedding, when they sat the final examinations. Load-shedding impacted on students’ ability to study and write their final examinations, and sometime exam rooms we dark without electricity.
There has been inadequate or total lack of access to broadband and computers required for online education in disadvantaged communities.
This is the Cohort of learner who performed despite political impact of COVID 19, which had a dire class consequence to the children of the working class and the poor, who mostly or entirely utilize the public sector schooling. The Continued lockdowns and change of school attendance have caused a serious intellectual backlog to the Children of the historically oppressed African majority who still have to learn under condition that are not ideal for progressive consumption and production of knowledge.
The Gauteng matric class of 2020 defied the odds to make it to second position with 82.8% down one percentage point from 2020 performance. We also congratulate the teachers, principals, administrators and all stakeholders who worked tirelessly each day to help the students to succeed.
We are here to say to all the learners, your past 12 years has come to fruition and this is how a country is skilling its youth and its workforce in readiness for the real world.
The Each One Teach One Foundation calls on those who failed not to lose hope but to try again to achieve their full potential, including through applying to write supplementary exams.
We reiterate our call for the government to keep the doors of learning and culture open, especially to the children of the working class notwithstanding the difficult conditions we find our country faced with.
