School dropout crisis in Eastern Cape due to Covid-19

Scores of  Eastern Cape pupils are at risk of dropping out of school in the wake of extended periods of school closures, with research showing that boys are staying away in greater numbers than girls.

With the impact of Covid-19 taking a toll on both pupils and teachers, 27% of boys and 21% of girls in the province did not return to school in the wake of extended school closures in 2020, advocacy group Equal Education said.

For one northern areas’ principal in Port Elizabeth, the situation has been heartbreaking, with a boy in grade 10 telling her he had to drop out as both his parents had lost their jobs and he needed to put food on the table.

According to a presentation by Equal Education late last year, 1,770,289 pupils were enrolled at public schools in the Eastern Cape in 2019.

And the education department said that for 2020,1,018,583 pupils had enrolled.

However, the total number enrolled for 2020 could not be confirmed  as the department’s statistical presentation was unclear, with the numbers supplied for each grade not adding up to the total recorded by the department.

Despite numerous attempts to get comment from the education department —  on the number of enrolments, among other things —  no response was forthcoming.

Questions were sent on Monday and Tuesday.

A parliamentary portfolio committee, in late 2020, raised concerns about increasing dropout rates.

The committee also questioned the quality of data provided by the education department, saying there were contradictions.

Equal Education said health emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic — and the related school closures — were devastating for vulnerable pupils.

This was especially true for pupils already at risk of dropping out before the pandemic.

In October, the Eastern Cape department of basic education presented its findings on the impact of Covid-19 on schooling to the portfolio and select parliamentary committees of basic education.

The report indicated that since “the return of all learners back to school it is estimated that approximately 20-30% of learners are not attending school”.

Concerns were raised about the increasing dropout rates, with the committee questioning whether enough was done by the provincial department to ensure pupils were adequately supported so they could complete the curriculum and write examinations.

Provincial education head Themba Kojana responded saying only 27 matrics had not written exams in 2020.

“The department constantly monitors the attendance of learners with a committee that was formed by the department and other stakeholders to manage Covid-19,” Kojana said in a report.

Equal Education researcher Jane Borman said the economic and health consequences of the pandemic, along with uncertainty brought about by school closures and the potential pressures of exams, likely contributed to increased levels of fear and anxiety among both pupils and teachers.

Borman said learning losses could be hugely demotivating —  especially when some of the pupils’ peers were able to continue learning during school closures.

She said stress levels put pupils at greater risk of dropping out while families were also faced with increased economic pressures, something that might mean pupils, especially those in higher grades, needed to work to help support the family.

“It is crucial that the government makes a concerted effort to contact learners who are at risk of dropping out and encourage them to return to school or continue learning from home with the support of the school.

Shockingly, 30% of schools surveyed last year by the major teacher unions said that a major issue faced was that they had lost all contact with some learners and families during the school-closure period

“Shockingly, 30% of schools surveyed last year by the major teacher unions said that a major issue faced was that they had lost all contact with some learners and families during the school-closure period.

“Remote support should also be made available to support learners and teachers who are not back at school.

“As economic conditions worsen for many families, it is important that the government anticipates an increased need for services that enable access to education, such as the continued provision of school meals,” Borman said.

Paterson High principal Rose de Doncker said the school had experienced many dropouts.

She said this was very sad for teachers who were doing the very best they could.

“Many matrics indicated that they would come back in 2021 and my hope is that they do return,” she said.

Besides the risk of pupils and their families contracting the coronavirus and having no choice but to stay away from school, De Doncker said there were other circumstances that resulted in parents keeping their children at home, but a factor that stood out was transport.

“Learners were struggling to get taxi fare,” she said.

“We went as far as getting funding for grade 12 learners just to get them to school.

“Transport itself became an issue.”

She highlighted the plight of a grade 10 pupil who said both his parents had lost their jobs so he had decided to find a job to keep the lights on.

And often pupils left school and it would then emerge they had taken jobs at supermarkets.

“It’s a very sad situation, they belong in school and we can only hope for a better 2021,” De Doncker said.

Uitenhage High principal Mark Williams said that of the school’s 1,250 pupils, 22  did not return towards the end of 2020.

“Some children couldn’t cope with the workload and the reason they provided was fear around Covid-19.

“However, the teaching-time loss plays a huge factor and maybe they didn’t see a way to continue.

“Unfortunately, two of our matrics didn’t complete the year,” Williams said.

Solomon Mahlangu High social worker Olwen Carson said that of 1,400 pupils, the school had seen a 2% dropout rate.

She said a Covid-19 orientation programme prior to the school reopening had been a great success last year.

Carson said while it was not an easy adjustment for the children, the majority of their pupils were happy to have returned and be in a classroom in front of a teacher where they could ask questions.

“When they came back, it was an emotional roller-coaster.

“It took time for them to focus,” she said.

“Some were thinking of deceased family members or a parent who had Covid.

“It was not an easy thing to come back and then social distance.

“The classes went from 50 to 25, so it was an adjustment.”

Education expert  Professor Jonathan Jansen said pupils dropping out was a serious problem and he was uncertain if the government had a good handle on the data or solutions.

Jansen said the first step was to recognise the problem and then generate reliable data at school level on non-returning students.

“We must then have officials that support schools to find the non-returning students and their parents and bring them back to school.

But most of all we need reliable online or out-of-school options for those children to still receive quality education

“But most of all we need reliable online or out-of-school options for those children to still receive quality education,” he said.

Deputy director-general Simone Geyer, from the national department of education’s planning and oversight unit, said the data from the Eastern Cape presentations was accurate and similar to national figures.

She also commended the province for maintaining constant communication with the national department in trying to address the challenges of Covid-19.

“Information is still tracked, especially on the completion of the curriculum and the extent of the learners’ readiness to write exams.

“In the Eastern Cape, there have been discussions on how to improve the dropout rates and addressing the concerns raised on the matter.” 

Geyer said the department would look into data verification, especially during Covid-19 where raw information was received and captured weekly.

She said a research team had been allocated to collect new information and data on the impact of the pandemic in the education sector.

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