SENIOR Managers from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) have been using various forms of engagement platforms to reach out to schools to provide urgent support where needed during the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

These interventions also included school visits conducted by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, Deputy Minister, Dr Regina Mhaule, and Director-General Hubert Mathanzima Mweli.

School visits and monitoring programmes are essential because they provide the Department with a broad picture of the situation faced by the sector to identify best practices and challenges from which intervention strategies can be developed to provide support to schools.

The Director for Education Management and Governance Development, James Ndlebe, indicated that Covid-19 posed challenges to every education stakeholder within the Basic Education Sector.

He applauded the role played by School Governing Bodies (SGBs), parents, School Management Teams (SMTs) and school principals in ensuring that the phased approach of opening schools, difficult as it was, was successful.

“As the governance of schools is vested in its SGB in terms of section 16(1) of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (SASA), as amended, SGBs must promote the best interest of the school and support school staff and SMTs to perform their duties. During the advent of Covid-19, we saw SGBs becoming a link between the school and communities, leading to the safe return of learners to school and ensuring that there was social distancing; wearing of face masks; and adherence to hygiene protocols, including the availability of meals for all returning grades,” explained Ndlebe.

“Quality education cannot be achieved unless communities are involved in determining the nature, character and the direction that schools must take. The role of parents in supporting their school-going children cannot be over emphasised. It makes a huge difference in the outcome of learner performance. The establishment of SGBs is the way in which we, in the sector, formalise the interaction between schools and parents. This was evident in the many consultation meetings held between the Department and SGBs throughout the lock down period,” he concluded.

THE University of Cape Town has announced an expanded scholarship programme for its new online school due to significant demand.

The online school, which commences classes in January 2022, has received more than 7,000 applications for the 2021 academic year, with scholarships now being offered to all high school-aged students, it said. 

UCT is running the online venture in collaboration with the Valenture Insitute, and is a CAPS-aligned curriculum that enables learners in grades 8 – 12 the opportunity to study at a monthly fee of R2,095.

The university said that learners will benefit from a supported self-discipline model, which allows them to pace their own learning while receiving one-on-one tutoring from expert teachers and support coaches whenever they need it.

Students will also be provided with a range of university and career preparation services and offerings.

In addition, the entire curriculum will be made available for free on an interactive online platform, the tertiary institution said. Users of this free content will be issued with a learner number to save their learning path and data, with unlimited logins permitted.

Privates and corporates 

While many of South Africa’s private schools have had to incorporate online teaching due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some are making a more permanent shift towards online schools.

JSE-listed independent education provider Curro opened its Curro Online offering in mid-June last year, and boasts more than 600 learners.

The group has also implemented additional e-learning solutions, the latest being Curro Choice, an e-learning offering that launched in February 2021 to broaden the range of subjects available to every Curro high school learner nationwide.

Looking ahead, the education group said it will continue to invest in the business, and make better use of its existing facilities as the education landscape changes.

Corporates have also shown eagerness to offer online learning facilities. At the end of October, mobile operator MTN launched its online school, offering a digital curriculum for grades R-12.

The online school, endorsed by the Department of Basic Education, will offer additional features like video lessons, assessments and extra-tuition lessons for grade 10 to 12 learners.

It will also focus on areas such as financial skills, entrepreneurship, arts and culture, and career guidance content, with particular attention on critical careers where there are skills shortages in South Africa.

The portal includes an introduction to the early childhood development curriculum and African storytelling, with over 2,000 stories, to equip children with good reading skills and improve confidence, enabling them to learn and read independently.

Ongoing shift 

Before the pandemic, the majority of institutions had less than half of their learning offering available online despite nearly 9 out of 10 universities having started implementing their digital strategy sometime before 2020, said Stewart Watts, vice president for EMEA, at online learning company D2L.

The crisis accelerated efforts to implement digital strategies in South Africa and as a result, there is now an increased number of courses available online for students, growing to 59%, he said.

“Change is starting to happen and it will probably be like a domino effect. The pandemic has forced a long-term shift in the way we think about EdTech and digital transformation, and it’s a good sign that higher education institutions are putting the student experience and learning outcomes at the centre of their strategies,” he added.

“More than 90% of respondents in South Africa say that institutions need to digitally transform to enable future growth, and improving digital skills within the academic community is also a top priority.”

* Business Tech

THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says it is expecting a shortfall of about R10 billion in its student funding for the 2022 academic year. 

NSFAS has cited various factors for this including the COVID-19 pandemic and the expected increase of student enrolments in tertiary institutions.

The scheme was briefing Parliament on its annual report for the 2020-2021 financial year.

CEO Andile Nongongo said NSFAS was able to take proactive measures in dealing with the matter before the opening of the 2022 academic year.

He says both the National Treasury and the Department of Higher Education and Training have been approached.

“The shortfall is projected to about R10 billion. The difference this time is that we were able to engage quite early with the department and the National Treasury to try and secure this funding.”

“Of course that is not in the control of NSFAS to come up with such money. It is in the control of government to prioritise those funds. So indeed this money has been earmarked,” explains Nongongo.

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said funding to universities and TVET colleges has increased from R20 billion in 2018 to R42 billion in 2021.

“It should also be noted that NSFAS funding increased from R5.9 billion in 2014/15 to approximately R35 billion in 2020/21,” said Nzimande.

“As you know, additional funding was reprioritized to support a NSFAS shortfall in 2021/22, the current financial year, taking the total NSFAS budget to approximately R42 billion.”

Nzimande said last year more than 750 000 students were financially assisted by the NSFAS.

Addressing the launch of the NSFAS application season for 2022 in Pretoria, Nzimande promised to fund all deserving students next year.

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA|

JUST as the COVID-19 pandemic has tested our resolve as a nation and united us as a people, it has also illustrated once more that community-based and civil society organisations are the lifeblood of this country.
 
Since the earliest days of the pandemic, civil society organisations have played an essential role in supporting the public health response and sustaining livelihoods.
 
When government embarked on an extensive relief programme to support people in distress, community organisations partnered with us to make it happen. In many ways this was a true expression of the Thuma Mina spirit. Among other things, they helped to expand sheltering services for survivors of gender-based violence and kept community early childhood development centres running. There were many local community kitchens that sprung up to deal with hunger, often supported by local volunteers, restaurant owners, supermarkets and farmers.
 
And while meeting vital community needs, these organisations are also creating jobs. This is a strength that we want to build on through the new Social Employment Fund, which has just been launched as part of the second phase of the Presidential Employment Stimulus.
 
Through this fund, non-governmental, community-based and civil society organisations as well as social enterprises will be supported to create jobs while undertaking work that serves the common good and is not for profit.
 
This could include work that promotes food security, healthcare, education support, greening the environment, better public spaces, community safety and action against gender-based violence.
 
It is expected that the Social Employment Fund will create around 50,000 work opportunities. A total of R800 million has been allocated to the fund, which is being led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and managed by the Industrial Development Corporation.
 
Applications are now open for organisations to become the fund’s Strategic Implementing Partners. These partners must be able to create work for at least 1,000 participants, and will be expected to reach the employment target within the first quarter of implementation.
 
No less than 80% of the funds received needs to be spent on wages. This will ensure that the work supported by the Fund is labour intensive, provides meaningful experience and delivers real social value. Social employment is not about work alone, but about creating high-quality assets and services for communities.
 
Public employment programmes are particularly important when there are not enough jobs being created in the private sector. As our economy starts to recover from the effects of COVID-19, public employment fills a vital gap as companies get back on their feet and start hiring again.
 
Work opportunities under the Social Employment Fund will be part-time. This means more people can participate and participants can be employed and have a secure income for longer. This gives participants the time to develop the structure, skills and networks associated with participation in work.
 
Participants will perform an average of two days of work a week, and we want to encourage the private sector and the donor community to support these organisations, which will enable participants to be paid for more workdays a week.
 
As the International Labour Organization notes, work experience and skills acquired through public employment programmes can improve a person’s chances of being employed, becoming self-employed or starting their own business.
 
As with the other programmes of the Presidential Employment Stimulus, this fund will have a broader transformative impact by engaging unemployed people to carry out socially valuable activities such as educating our youngest citizens, greening our communities, and providing care and support to society’s most vulnerable.
 
As we strive to recover and rebuild in the aftermath of the pandemic, the Social Employment Fund will not only create more work opportunities and support more livelihoods, it will also be a critical driver of development and social upliftment.
 
Through this fund, and the many organisations it will support, government aims to mobilise the abundant energy and capabilities of the wider society to create work for the common good.

* From the desk of the President

THE Department of Basic Education heeded the call this weekend by President Cyril Ramaphosa to support the Vooma Vaccination Weekend – aimed at encouraging more South African to take the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine.

The department hosted a vaccination activation from Saturday until Sunday from 8h00 to 15h00 at the Open Site next to Holy Pentecost Apostolic Church in Boitumelo, Sebokeng in Gauteng.

As part of government’s efforts to ramp up vaccinations for the country ahead of the festive season, Ramaphosa has written to a wide range of leaders in government, labour, faith-based organisations, the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, business and civil society partners inviting them to support the Vooma Vaccination Weekend and participate in local events and community outreaches across the country.

“The department will have an exhibition on site to showcase and share information about the various programmes of the DBE including Funza Lushaka and Second Chance Matric Support Programme,” the Department of Basic Education said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said in a statement that the first Vooma Vaccination Weekend led to an unprecedented level of engagement and active mobilisation across many districts in South Africa.

He said that it achieved 75% of its target of 500,000 vaccinations over the three-day period, and government hopes to achieve 100% of that target this weekend. –SAnews.gov.za

“We were taught that our history begins with colonisation, whereas our ancestors have contributed greatly to humanity,” said South African novelist, poet and playwright Professor Zakes Mda at a virtual book launch dialogue hosted by the University of Pretoria (UP).

Professor Mda recently published two books, Arola: A Journey into 10 Ancient African Civilisations and Wayfarers’ Hymns.

“Arola is difficult to categorise because it is so complicated,” Professor Mda said.

 “The main aim of the book is to teach others about African history. The research process was not difficult or intense because the materials I am writing about are all accessible; some of them are even accessible online.

“We are taught to believe that African history begins only with the coming of the white man, and we call it ‘African history’, when in fact it is the history of the white man in Africa rather than African history,” he added.

“So I was keen to delve back centuries ago to look at the empires that existed then. History of these empires exist in museums all over the world, but scholarship has ignored material that was right in front of their eyes.”

Professor Tawana Kupe, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP, added to the conversation by placing emphasis on the University’s intention to educate individuals about their history. “We were not just people who were discovered – we existed before,” he said. “Our intention at UP is to teach people origins and histories of knowledge because, as Prof Mda said, when you are taught something only begins here, you are only being taught one history’s form of knowledge. You are also taught that you are not creators of knowledge. Another thing we would like to do at UP is situate Africans as knowledge creators.”

Moving from Arola to Wayfarers’ Hymns, Dr Nokuthula Mazibuko Msimang of UP’s Faculty of Humanities, who moderated the dialogue, described the novel as a “dramatic book about musical gangsters”.

“This book is centred on famo music, a popular genre of music in Lesotho,” Professor Mda said.

“The predominate instrument used in Lesotho is the accordion. Basothos [a collective term for native Sotho people] have turned the accordion and the concertina into Basotho traditional instruments, and have been creating famo music. This is a kind of music that is full of poetry, which is known as hymns, but these are circular hymns not religious hymns.”

Professor Mda went on to explain why he finds famo music and the culture surrounding it so interesting, and how this contributed to the conceptualisation of Wayfarers’ Hymns.

“I grew up in Lesotho, so I grew up listening to famo music. But I recently learned new things about this music. I learned that musicians also led gangs, so these musicians have evolved into gang leaders. Every weekend in Mafeteng, a city in Lesotho, there are funerals of musicians who have died in wars where they were fighting for territory and followers, but also fighting for [control of] illegal mining sites. The illegal mining that happens in Gauteng and Welkom is actually led by the musicians and leaders of these gangs. So I was fascinated to hear about this because I’ve never read about it, not even in newspapers.”

Zakes Mda was born in Herschel in the Eastern Cape in 1948 and studied in South Africa, Lesotho and the United States. He wrote his first short story at the age of 15 and has since won major South African and British literary awards for his novels and plays. His writing has been translated into 20 languages. Mda is a professor of Creative Writing at Ohio University.

* UP

NETFLIX’s comedy Sex Education, now in its third season, is set among a group of students and teachers at a British high school. In depicting sex education, it teaches viewers about sex and sexuality – often doing a better job than school-based sex ed classes.

In the first episode of season three, Dr Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson) is interviewed on the radio about her new book, Uneducated Nation: A Sex Education Manifesto for Our Youth.

When the host asks her to tell him about the book, she replies she was “shocked at the ineptitude” of school sex ed classes. So she created this easy-to-read manual to help empower our teenagers, and their parents, as they become sexually active young adults. He responds, “Sounds a bit racy”. Jean retorts,

Well, if, by racy, you mean highly researched and completely essential to the health and well-being of our children, then, yes, I suppose it is.

Jean’s response could easily be applied to the television series itself – racy but essential. It could also be seen as a comment about how school-based sexual education programs could improve their communication of relevant information to curious teenagers.

We are part of an international research team working with scholars from Greece, Ireland and Norway to interview adolescents and their parents about their perceptions of harm in accessing sexual content.

As researchers with expertise in the fields of sexology, communication and media studies, we value the knowledge young people share about their own needs and desires.

Our research with teens – and into stories that represent their experiences – illustrates they are sexual beings who want and deserve sex-positive information. Too often, this positive side of sex is left out of the classroom.

Sexually provocative, but educational

Sex Education is one example of how stories in popular culture can portray teen sexuality positively.

For instance, the opening scene of this first episode of season three is upbeat, playful and sexy.

It cuts between at least 13 different moments of sexual pleasure: heterosexual sex, gay sex between young men, gay role-playing sex between young women, masturbating while watching porn, online sex, virtual reality sex – and the pleasure of reading a book while eating cheese puffs.

This sequence is sexually provocative, but it also educational. It shows a range of desires across ages (yes, teachers and parents have sex, too), races, sexualities and body sizes.

There are none of the messages about abstinence and fear often associated with representations of teen sex, and no coy curtain-wafting standing in for sex.

The premise of the show is the teenagers at Moordale High do not receive adequate sex education classes, so Jean’s son Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his classmate Maeve (Emma Mackey) set up a sex therapy service for their peers.

These young people seek information about how to overcome sexual difficulties and become better lovers. They find (usually) correct – and always frank – information from Otis and Maeve, who offer resources and advice.

Teenagers and porn

As we argue in a recent essay, this TV show complicates the idea that pornography is only harmful to teens.

Watching porn can be “a bit of fun”, to quote one character, but also a source of misinformation about sex. Sex Education debunks this misinformation, such as when one character mistakenly believes a large penis is required for sexual satisfaction, and another thinks her labia should be tucked in.

Teenagers as consumers and producers of pornographic and erotic narratives can use these stories, and the stories in Sex Education, to develop an understanding of sex and sexuality and supplement the information provided in school curriculum.

This seeming contradiction about pornography aligns with a report written by the Australian Institute of Family Studies about the effects of porn on young people.

This report highlights the lack of information about how young people access sexual content (unintentionally or intentionally); about the content of pornography they view; and about teenagers’ ability to distinguish between the fantasy pornography represents and the reality of their sexual experiences.

The report also found very few accounts from teens themselves about their experiences accessing sexual content online and any perceived harm from it. It points to a need for further research, which includes the voices of adolescents.

Teaching pleasure

Dr Jacqui Hendriks, who coordinates Curtin University’s sexology courses, believes sex ed should include discussions of pleasure rather than focusing primarily on reproduction.

At present, the quality of sex education varies widely across the nation, but in Western Australia, a group of researchers have identified the “need for a greater focus on positive sexuality and relevant contemporary issues” in the classroom.Sex Education challenges a commonly-held perception teenagers should be protected from the harms of sex and sexual material. The stories told by teens and about teens can be crucial tools to open conversations between children and adults about sex.

The conversation started by shows like Sex Education highlights the need for more comprehensive sexual education not only in schools but in communities and in the family home itself.

* The Conversation

SADTU has called on Eskom, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and all other relevant authorities to urgently find a reasonable mechanism to reduce the adverse impact of load-shedding on the current National Senior Certificate examinations.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the Department of Basic Education should urgently consult with Eskom and, based on such consultations, respond accordingly to minimise the disruptions which cause collective trauma to both learners and teachers.

Cembi added that the current load-shedding by Eskom is having an adverse impact on leaners and students at this critical time of the academic year.

“The current situation, regardless of the reasons or circumstances under which it happens, adversely affect the right of learners to education and has a direct adverse impact on their emotional and psychological being,” said Cembi.

“In many other instances learners will be exposed to safety and security risks particularly in those instances where alternative arrangements are made to enable them to study and prepare away from their homes.”

Sadtu has also called on the Department of Basic Education to put in place measures to ensure that learners and students who arrive late for their examinations and who require electricity supply to conduct examination are not prejudiced.

“We also call on the Department of Basic Education to afford all learners who have missed their examination as a result of load shedding to be afforded an opportunity to write those examinations during this examination session,” said Cembi.

“We further call on the government to investigate the allegations that the technician ignored the red light warning of low oil that led to the tripping three days before the elections. It is our considered view that this was a sabotage to support the call for the firing of the ESKOM board and those who are dealing with the rot that was characterising ESKOM.”

On Thursday, Eskom announced that Stage 2 would be implemented from midday and that power cuts would end on Friday at 5am.

Earlier this week, Eskom implemented Stage 4 and later Stage 3 load shedding to allow the utility to fully replenish its emergency generation reserves.

“While Eskom regrets the escalation in load shedding, it is necessary to ration the remaining emergency generation reserves, which have been utilised extensively this morning as we are not getting the reduction in demand as expected from the implementation of Stage 2 load shedding,“ it said at the time.

“It was anticipated that an additional seven units would have returned to service by Monday, and this has not materialised. Further, a generating unit at Arnot power station tripped, contributing to the shortages.”

* Inside Education

ZIMBABWE’S junior motocross champion rider. Emmanuel Bako, buried himself in glory on Saturday after he was crowned the 85cc Pro Mini Champion of the 2021 Northern Regions Motocross Championship series in South Africa.

The 14-year-old dirt bike rider stormed to the title after another convincing win during the sixth round at Legends track in Pretoria.

The St. John’s College pupil won all the six rounds of the series whose races were held at different venues in the Gauteng Province.

He finished season with another stellar performance in the 85cc Pro Mini Class in which he was just untouchable at the Legends track where he lifted his first major motocross title, since he started racing in that country, at the tender age of six.

Bako fired the early warning shots by winning both heats in the 85cc Pro Mini Class in style to claim the first step on the podium ahead of his South African rivals Ryan Adler and Bester Cobus.

The 85cc Pro Mini Class had a good field of 14 riders.

Saturday’s race meeting was also a pre-national event where some of South Africa’s top junior and senior riders got the feel of the track at Legends.

Bako was on fire on as he first took a hole shot in Heat One and never looked back until he finished first.

In Heat Two, Bako failed to take a hole shot but on the second corner of the first lap he was leading again, riding his brand new 2021 KTM, which was sponsored by Better Brands Jewellery of Zimbabwe, with aplomb.

The exciting Zimbabwean rider punched the air with delight when he crossed the checkered flag and was joined in celebrating this sweet victory by his father and manager, Brighton.

“Emmanuel has put in a lot of hard work to archive this considering he had to balance school and racing every weekend of his life in South Africa,” said Brighton.

“God has and is still doing wonders in his life.

“As a parent, I think I have done the best for him and I will still do the best for him. I will also pray to God for Him to guide him. He has worked so hard and it has paid off.

“We would like to thank Peter Raaf, the bike mechanic, and Emmanuel’s main sponsors, Fuchs Silkolene Zimbabwe and Better Brands Jewellery, for the support they give us.

“The 2021 regional championship in South Africa has gone to a Zimbabwean rider and it’s a blessing. “South Africans would have loved to have the championship won by one of their own but guess what, Emmanuel said no and he vowed to take it to Zimbabwe.

“It was an amazing race on Saturday on a well prepared track. He was so confident and is now itching to race in the next race, which is the final round of this year’s South African Nationals, and will be held on November 20 at Legends track again.”

* The Herald

FATEMEH AMINPOUR|

CHILDREN account for a large proportion of new infections in Australia’s current COVID-19 outbreaks. This has raised concerns about their safe return to school.

As schools in New South Wales and Victoria resume face-to-face learning, children under 12 will be more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection since vaccination of this age group hasn’t started in Australia (although they are less likely to get seriously ill).

Face masks are not mandatory for these students either, but are mandatory for secondary school students in Victoria and in NSW.

Therefore, physical distancing and use of outdoor spaces for school activities top the list of recommendations to keep children safe from COVID-19.

However, physical distancing, even outdoors, can be hardly practised if the school is overcrowded. Overcrowding is common in Australian schools, which are increasingly accommodating more students. This issue has been recognised as a significant barrier to children’s free activities, especially during recess and when they are on the move.

In NSW, for example, the required open space per student is 10 square metres and nearly all schools meet this standard. While this seems to allow a fair amount of room for physical distancing, children may nevertheless believe their schools are overcrowded and don’t offer enough room for play.

While demonstrating physical distancing, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and school children stand on asphalt, a surface that children dislike, which leads to crowding in areas they prefer. Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street, CC BY-NC-ND

Why does this happen? Do children use school grounds in ways that we don’t anticipate?

My PhD study conducted in three public primary schools in Sydney reveals children’s use and perception of school environments differ from what adult designers intended. Children dislike and avoid some of the school ground spaces designed by adults.

Large parts of school grounds, including covered outdoor learning areas, are covered with low-quality asphalt on which children are not allowed to run and cannot sit comfortably.

The “no running on concrete” rule restricts children’s intense physical activity to areas covered with grass or synthetic rubber. The problem is these areas are often not big enough for the numbers of children who want to use them, resulting in crowding.

Adding to the problem is the “out of bounds” rule, which bars children from using areas that are out of sight of staff. These areas are often around the edges of school grounds because staff tend to supervise children from the central parts of the school. Out-of-bounds areas are underused yet could provide extra space for children’s physical, social and dramatic play.

So, how can school design and planning help overcome the crowding that makes physical distancing difficult?

1. Provide quality material for ground surfaces

By replacing asphalt with better quality surface materials, children’s activities can be spread out across more of the school grounds, easing crowding. This will reduce the impact on children’s physical activity of the “no running on concrete” rule.

In a recent study, we found natural grass is children’s favourite surface for activities like running or performing gymnastics. It doesn’t become too hot in the sun, isn’t slippery and doesn’t hurt if they fall.

2. Increase opportunities for nature play

Besides the known benefits of nature play for children’s well-being, natural settings usually attract smaller groups that may result in less crowding. This contrasts with spaces such as sports fields where large numbers often play together.

My recent research shows children prefer trees with wide canopies, accessible branches, upraised roots and/or soft trunks because they offer sensory stimulation and opportunities for co-operative play.

3. Recognise the value of neglected areas

Out-of-bounds areas at schools are often neglected based on the questionable assumption of their low value for children’s play. Making better use of these spaces can disperse children over the whole school area and enhance their opportunities for safe play.

Children may also find these spaces quiet and less busy since they are typically secluded and partially segregated from sanctioned areas. Less noisy spaces make it easier for children to talk with each other, which is a significant part of their socio-dramatic play.

4. Create separate zones

School layouts can be designed to establish separate zones that offer suitable secluded spaces for various groups, or cohorts, of students in order to avoid crowding. A cohort is a distinct group that stays together for the entire school day for in-person learning, with little or no contact between groups.

“Cohorting”, also known as “podding”, allows for more efficient contact tracing in the event of a positive COVID-19 test result. Targeted testing, quarantine and isolation can be applied to a single cohort/pod rather than schoolwide closures in the event of an individual or group testing positive.

5. Use nearby community/public spaces

Schools can locate the extra space they need on nearby community/public open spaces when the local council and the Department of Education reach a joint-use agreement. Children’s safe use of these sites depends on:

the quality of these facilitiestheir location in the neighbourhoodease of walking there to and from schoolaccess during school hours.

Sharing neighbourhood facilities can help meet children’s need for access to broader recreational resources. It also strengthens the social bond between schools and their communities.

Overcrowding in Australian schools is not a new issue yet could be an obstacle to safe face-to-face education at a time when it is desperately needed.

Current concerns about COVID-19 outbreaks at schools can prompt policy and institutional redesign to tackle this longstanding problem of overcrowding.

Children and school communities should be engaged in the earlier phases of school design and planning to tap into their unique insights into the effectiveness of educational environments.

(Fatemeh Aminpour is the Associate Lecturer, School of Built Environment, UNSW)

The Conversation