As a school principal, I feel it is important to join the conversation about the state of online schooling in South Africa. Recently, there’s been a series of investigative articles about one school, as well as widespread coverage of a principals’ report which issued a stark, sweeping warning that home/online schooling sets children back in their educational milestones.
Online education is undeniably a powerful tool for moving SA towards the democratisation of education. It offers unparalleled access to a wider range of learning experiences and provides another option for educational leaders in our mandate to educate young people effectively.
So, how should we evaluate the academic outcomes of specific online schools this year which have been, to put it frankly, disastrous? What does this mean for online schooling as a whole?
The pandemic played a role in accelerating the uptake of online schooling, and new online schools have emerged in SA to meet that demand. Just like traditional schools, online schools are not all the same. Core values, academic rigour, educational philosophy, the delivery of education and the provision of a healthy school environment varies across schools in general.
It is not credible to state that SA children attending online schools will academically fall behind their peers at traditional schools. We all know well that there is no one standard of education quality across SA’s range of traditional schools, and the same is true for online schools.
There is no doubt that among online schools, some do not have sustainable models and don’t take responsibility for delivering quality education.
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There are those that have dragged the traditional school model onto a digital platform and called that an online school. There are also those who have prioritised business growth over educational philosophy and academic standards, and these online schools are now struggling.
But this is far from characteristic of all SA online schools. This is simply analogous to the failings of some traditional schools when it comes to academic standards, school leadership, teacher-to-student ratios and the provision of safe environments conducive to learning.
Just as SA has fantastic examples of traditional schools delivering quality education, there too are online schools which are getting it right, according to online pedagogy and best practice models. This year, Koa Academy has notched up a 98% progression rate. We have had students who started at Koa with learning deficits due to pandemic disruptions who have caught up and moved forward at their proper Grade-level.
According to the Independent Examination Board benchmark assessments, senior phase pupils who have been at Koa for more than a year are achieving significantly higher maths scores on average than those who have only recently joined.
Not every child will thrive in a good online school, just like it’s not the case that every child thrives in a good traditional school. The presence of online schools in SA gives parents more choice when it comes to finding the best educational solution for their unique child.
– Mark Anderson is principal of Koa Academy
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