What awaits teachers as schools reopen today

As 15 million learners return to school today after two successive Covid-19 induced lockdowns, many learners, especially those in the countryside, have not had a chance to continue their studies remotely like their counterparts in urban centres.

This is due to poor Internet connectivity and lack of electricity to follow lessons which were being aired on television and radio channels.

While parents are now upbeat about the reopening of schools, there is really a lot that awaits the teachers.

How can learners adjust to school?

Mr Issa Matovu, an education expert, said teachers have an uphill task of helping learners bounce back not only to academics but socially and emotionally.

 “ Remaining at home for so long has come with challenges children were not used to. So, teachers must help ease the home-to-school transition for learners,” he says.

To achieve this, Mr Matovu says a lot of orientation for both teachers and learners has to be done in the first few weeks of Term One.

“Teachers should remember that the uncertainty of the past two years has been unsettling, and they need to focus on helping learners feel connected and be part of the school environment again.

“This means a lot of psycho-social support, guidance, and regular communication is needed. It is going to be a lot of work, but it is necessary at this point in time,”  he says.

Mr Matovu says although learners have fallen behind in their educational progress, they have to be given time to catch up with their studies.

“If the transition appears to be difficult, let teachers not put pressure on them (learners) to perform academically, they will adjust as time goes by,” he adds.

Because of the threatening third wave of Covid-19, Mr Matovu says some learners may already be wondering whether they will end up learning from home again or schools will remain open.

“ To help deal with this uncertainty, teachers must encourage their learners to voice their worries and emotions and acknowledge them. School impacts many aspects of social, emotional, and physical development,” he says.

Ms Florence Namata, a veteran educationalist and also the head teacher of St Nicholas Mannya Primary School in  Rakai District, says teachers must instill confidence in learners.

“Teachers are going to handle learners that have been working whereas others have already become mothers. We should make sure they fit into the process of learning,” she says.

Although there are already worries about surging Covid-19  infections and another possible school lockdown, Ms Namata asks teachers to “ mask their worries and increase learners level of confidence about their studies ”.

For the first few weeks of the term, Ms Namata advises schools to help learners engage in co-curricular activities before engaging in serious classroom work.

Dr Tom Balojja, a lecturer at Makerere University, says teachers have to invoke skills that involve appreciating adulthood such as respect for individual interests and human rights.

“The method used for children is called pedagogy. Peda is a Latin word meaning a child. Such a method involves applying force and guided conduct of children. However, given the fact that most of the children have now turned adults, the method needs to be adjusted,” he says.

Mr Erasmus  Kanyerezi, another veteran teacher and the head teacher of Kinuuka Seed School, Lyantonde District, says teachers should strictly follow the code of conduct.

“The conduct guides us how to relate with learners whether there is a pandemic or not, but in my 29 years of  teaching , I have realised that many are challenged,” he says.

Mr Kanyerezi says since some children have been learning from home, they may have enjoyed learning at their own pace, which teachers have to put into consideration.

“ So, a teacher is expected to be calm, honest and caring. This doesn’t mean we don’t have our own fears or stress, but how we act with learners will impact on their response,” he says.

In March 2020, President Museveni closed schools following the outbreak of Covid-19. The schools were later reopened in October 2020 for candidate classes though it was done in a phased manner.  However, in June last year, following a surge in Covid cases, schools were again closed. Some classes such as Primary One to Three and Senior One and Two had not yet reported to school.

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