1) The Department of Basic Education and the National Education Collaboration Trust are working with private sector companies, foundations, NGOs and other stakeholders to support continuity of learning during the COVID-19 lockdown through e-learning and broadcast lessons. 2) Most households, both rural and urban, have embraced e-learning or following broadcasts for lessons, though more support is still needed to help learners, teachers and parents. 3) In addition to curriculum support online and on television and radio broadcasts, efforts are underway to engage and support teachers during the lockdown through initiatives like email/WhatsApp feeds and a radio program on teacher issues.

1. Johannesburg, 17 April 2020:
Corporate funders, foundations and NGOs continue to work together to
support the educational responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
Most households – rural and urban - are embracing the concept of e-learning
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the National Education Collaboration Trust
(NECT) are increasingly encouraged by the sustained and stepped up efforts to support the
educational response package to ensure continuity of learning during the COVID-19
lockdown, in force to the end of April 2020.
Apart from the extensive partnerships with private sector companies, foundations, NGOs
and several stakeholders in the information and communications technology space and
broadcast media have come forth to broadcast of lessons.
The NECT/DBE also did monitoring and evaluation of the COVID-19 response package and
found that most households – rural and urban - are embracing the concept of e-learning or
following broadcasts for lessons. Although there is an overflow of information coming
through these channels, through ongoing support it is becoming be possible to assist
learners, teachers and parents to keep the momentum of learning going.
Under the banner “COVID-19 Learner Support”, SABC 1, 2 and 3 have been broadcasting
learning content from Thursday, April 09. Radio stations have also added their weight to the
campaign. SABC stations, namely, Ukhozi FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Lesedi FM,
Motsweding FM, Munghana Lonene FM, Phalaphala FM, Thobela FM, Radio Sonder
Grense, Ligwalagwala FM, Ikhwekwezi FM, SAFM and Radio 2000 have provided national
coverage to the efforts of DBE. Community radio stations such as Pulpit FM, Radio Laeveld,
Radio Kragbron, Rise FM, Makhado FM, Mala FM, UniVen FM, Musina FM, Tru FM and X-K
FM are on board, regionalising and localising the learning content as much as possible.
Online solutions also received a boost, with the addition of curriculum support for learners in
Grades 10, 11 & 12 and Early Childhood Development (ECD). Emphasis has been on
subjects like Mathematics, Physical Sciences, English FAL, Life Sciences, Accounting – and
different African languages under the ECD offering. CAPS-aligned textbooks and teacher
guides are also available via this channel; while telecommunications companies waived
subscription and data costs to extend access to such portals as the Vodacom Digital
Classroom, Telkom e-Education, MTN and Siyavula, African Storybook, WCED e-Portal,
Khan Academy’s YouTube Channel, Mindset Learn, Nal’ibali, etc.

2. The Western Cape Education Department and Stellenbosch University have opened access
to their Telematics lesson content. More brilliant online resources are coming on-stream
daily; for updates please visit www.education.gov.za.
Ensuring teacher welfare and keeping them intellectually engaged during the lockdown is of
absolute importance. To this end there are a number of initiatives are already in place, such
as:
 E-mail and WhatsApp feeds being sent to teachers who are responsible for teaching
reading, and school management.
 A twenty-episode programme on Radio 2000, which was launched on Monday, April
13. The Programme runs every weekday at 14:30. The series is meant to engage,
inform and enable teachers to share insights and ideas about-
a. reducing the COVID-19 infections during the lockdown period and once
the schools are reopened;
b. supporting the learners during the lockdown period and beyond;
c. managing pyscho-social impacts of the disaster on the learners and the
teachers themselves
d. educational issues that impact on teachers. In particular, the teachers will
participate in discussing the recently released report that on the teaching
career in South Africa – their allocation to subjects, teacher associations,
teaching environments, professional development and the career of teaching
as a whole.
To support learning during the lockdown requires ongoing consultation and collaboration
with different stakeholders. For example, there are partnerships between independent
schools and public schools as well as tremendous support by teachers’ unions who keep
their members motivated and informed. Unions, like SADTU and NAPTOSA, are
participating on the National Curriculum Assessment Task Team (NCATT) to craft a
Comprehensive and Coherent Recovery Plan for all Grades.
DBE will conduct an information sharing session with civil society to keep them abreast of
developments. This session is schedule for the 22 April 2020, Wednesday.
Gratitude is due to those organisations that have provided financial and other resources to
drive the Education Response Plan. These include the Old Mutual Foundation, Momentum
Holdings (MMI), Woolworths, UNICEF and ISASA. The NECT welcomes the commitment

3. expressed by other organisations that have reached out to enquire; and requests anyone
interested in helping to write to covidresponse@nect.org.za.
For more information please contact: Mongezi Masilela, Marketing & Communications
Coordinator, +27 12 752 6200, Masilelas@nect.org.za or +27 78 124-8978