Principals in South Africa have warned that children returning to a traditional school setting after being homeschooled are likely to have to repeat a year.that these children would have to be held back because they are far behind their peers.
This has the result of children ultimately repeating a year of schooling, with the principals noting that they may only graduate from high school at the age of 20., virtual schools – which gained popularity during the Covid-19 lockdown – are getting an influx of complaints about the quality of education.
The Department of Basic Education has noted that virtual/online schools are seeing high drop-out rates, while traditional school principals report an influx of children wanting to return to classrooms. On top of academic challenges, the schools said that returning children also face challenges with the ‘hidden curriculum’ of socialisation and interacting with peers.
The principals said that online and virtual schools are better suited to supportive or complementary roles in education.Homeschooling is coming into focus, with the government looking to better regulate the sector through the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill.While the proposed laws deal with a host of changes to schools in South Africa – including