Help out there for Covid-battered teachers, parents and pupils

Solutions to some of the challenges Covid-19 poses to schools can be found in the Phepha uFunde campaign, an initiative that uses the power of radio and other media to generate effective ideas.

The campaign is funded by the Solidarity Fund and the Zenex Foundation.

It includes a website, a Facebook campaign and a 10-part Radio 2000 series hosted by Reggie September and education expert Mary Metcalfe.

“Our commitment to creating a body of knowledge aimed at keeping schools safe through conversation and learning continues. Phepha uFunde helps teachers, parents and pupils navigate new ways to learn during Covid-19,” Metcalfe said.

The main purpose of the campaign is for school leaders to share solutions to problems they might have encountered.

Metcalfe noticed the Eastern Cape had been slow to participate in the campaign. This was a “concerning factor”, she said, given the province's matric results had not always been the best.

She called on all educators and leaders to help come up with solutions that would benefit everyone.  

Metcalfe said the programme would last as long as there was a significant group of educators who found the website useful.

The 10-week radio programme was a platform to maximise the reach of the campaign.

“We had to budget to purchase the time slot. We went for an English medium radio station to get the greatest reach across the country,” she said.

Each radio episode focuses on aspects such as creating an understanding and interest in the problem,  reflecting on the context of the problem, looking at solutions that are being developed and interactive discussions via call-ins.

“Phepha uFunde provides an opportunity for school leaders to hear that they are not alone in the challenges they face and that solutions that are being found by their colleagues across the country are widely shared,” Metcalfe said.

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