Exploring the experiences of educators on the effects of COVID-19 on Further Education and Training (FET) learners in Gauteng East District

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about an excess of health difficulties. While the impact of COVID-19 on the world was widely known, little was known about how the virus had affected Further Education and Training learners (FET)in schools. This study focused on the experiences of 11 educators on how FET learners were affected by COVID-19. The ecological perspective was the theoretical framework underpinning the study. A qualitative research approach and phenomenological design was utilised in this research. Purposive sampling was used to identify and select eleven participants. The method of data was collected one on one interviews using a semi-structured interview schedule as the research tool. The information gathered was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that the COVID-19 pandemic was disrupting for the country, the education system, and in the school where the research was done. The COVID-19 pandemic jeopardised the physical, psychological, and social wellbeing of educators and learners. The COVID-19 pandemic surfaced the unpreparedness of the school system to deal with challenges posed by unforeseen events and showed up gaps and required rapid changes to be made within an education context given exiting structural challenges and limited resources. The COVID- 19 pandemic exacerbated the psychosocial issues in communities that learners experience. The desperate need for school social workers rendering services in all schools to address the many barriers that hamper or prevent learners to achieve their potential to becoming a productive member of the community was evident. There is a desperate need for technological resources in schools to facilitate teaching and learning. Lastly, educators require skills development to facilitate different methods of teaching