Adopting Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Interrogating New Approaches to Teaching and the Exclusion of Learners in Rural Settings

Abstract

A variety of instructional strategies were devised to ensure continuity in education during the COVID-19 lockdown. This paper interrogates the exclusion of learners in rural settings of Zimbabwe as a result of the methods of teaching that were adopted by the government during the COVID-19 lockdown. The paper seeks to answer the question; how are the strategies meant to ensure continuity in education during the lockdown excluding learners in rural settings? The strategies that were adopted by the government have been identified to be contributing to the exclusion of learners in rural settings. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews from 20 teachers who teach in rural areas at two of Zimbabwe’s ten provinces. The interviews were done as a follow-up to the approaches of remote teaching adopted during the lockdown. The study argues that the adoption of uniform approaches to teaching and learning throughout the country during COVID-19 lockdown would not suffice as the functionality of each approach depends on the infrastructure and the economic conditions characteristic of each particular geographical location. The strategies adopted during the pandemic in a low-income country like Zimbabwe should not be permanent but should simply be an emergency response. Learners in rural settings are bound to be excluded in education during the pandemic if policymakers enact ‘one size fits all’ approaches meant for abrupt implementation. Strategies that suit the idea of emergency remote teaching during the pandemic are the most favourable.

Teaching in a Pandemic: An Exploratory Study into University Instructors’ Perceptions of Work-from-Home Opportunities and Challenges during the COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa

“…The sample size comprised ten university teachers selected from the Faculty of Education using a purposive sampling technique. This sampling technique is otherwise known as judgemental, selective, or subjective sampling which allows the researcher to rely on their judgement for choosing participants who share similar and ideal peculiarities relevant to the study (Nhongo & Siziba, 2022). The inclusion criteria for choosing the participants was purposive and based on their ranks, their experiences in conducting teaching and related activities from home, as well as their specialisations in education cutting across science education, educational foundations, humanities, and management sciences.…”

The Vision of Spanish Schools in Post-Pandemic Times

“…There have been differences between schools in urban and rural environments (Zhang et al, 2020) and differences between online resources for their students in private or public schools (Bonal & González, 2020). Implementing uniform teaching and learning strategies during the COVID-19 lockdown would not be successful without considering the infrastructure and economic conditions specific to each geographical location (Nhongo & Siziba, 2022). On the other hand, the pandemic has been an opportunity to open schools to the outside world according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (OECD, 2020).…”

Divulging the Lived Experiences of Public School Teachers in the U.S.A. during COVID-19 Pandemic: Phenomenological Analysis

“…To maintain educational continuity during the COVID-19 lockdown, numerous instructional strategies were developed. The adoption of uniform teaching and learning strategies during the COVID-19 lockdown would be unsuccessful because each strategy depends on the infrastructure and economic conditions present in each geographical location (Nhongo & Siziba, 2022).…”