COVID-19 and the Digital Transformation of Education: What Are We Learning on 4IR in South Africa?

Abstract

<jats:p>The study sought to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic in motivating digital transformation in the education sector in South Africa. The study was premised on the fact that learning in South Africa and the rest of the world came to a standstill due to the lockdown necessitated by COVID-19. To assess the impact, the study tracked the rate at which the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) tools were used by various institutions during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were obtained from secondary sources. The findings are that, in South Africa, during the lockdown, a variety of 4IR tools were unleashed from primary education to higher and tertiary education where educational activities switched to remote (online) learning. These observations reflect that South Africa generally has some pockets of excellence to drive the education sector into the 4IR, which has the potential to increase access. Access to education, particularly at a higher education level, has always been a challenge due to a limited number of spaces available. Much as this pandemic has brought with it massive human suffering across the globe, it has presented an opportunity to assess successes and failures of deployed technologies, costs associated with them, and scaling these technologies to improve access.</jats:p>

Effects of COVID-19 in South African health system and society: An explanatory study

“…The suspension of teaching and learning activities affect learning and the academic calendar and implies less economic opportunities and human capital in the future as well as the increasing number of teenage marriages. However, the Government through the Ministry of Education implemented strategies such as practising social distancing, limiting the number of learners and students at schools and universities (completing students) [ 20 ]. Despite the closure of the schools, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) introduced online learner support programmes such as COVID-19 Television and radio curriculum support programmes for learners.…”

Analysis of Interurban Mobility in University Students: Motivation and Ecological Impact

“…The surveys were applied before the first pandemic lockdown. One of the future lines of work will be to study the variation in student opinion due to the presence of a disease, such as COVID-19, which is transforming the way classes are taught [ 64 , 65 , 66 ] and altering mobility patterns in our cities [ 67 ].…”

“…University education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will need to be even more focused on the development of student skills towards active learning [ 64 ]. In the current context, there is a trend towards the digitalisation of universities and teleworking [ 65 , 66 ]. Obviously, these circumstances will exert a positive effect on mobility, and therefore, in turn, its effect on the ecological footprint of the university should be studied.…”

Challenges Faced by UK University Students Due to the Coronavirus Crisis in the Higher Education

“…Due to the virus' excessive transmissive nature and the capricious effects it has on individuals, educational establishments were forced to call off and cancel classes indefinitely, forcing over 1.6 million students from over 190 countries to distance themselves from their respective educational institutions (Crawford et al, 2020) following the World Health Organisation's bulletin declaring COVID-19 a global disease; thus, affecting over 94% of the world's total student population (Mitra et al, 2020). The nebulous adversities of this global situation have not only promoted the impeding nature of the already existing disparities, often prevalent in the education sector, but also negatively affected pregnable minorities from more rural and inchoate parts of the world and low-income families, refugees, young women from chauvinist territories and individuals with disabilities (Mhlanga & Moloi, 2020).…”