I am not sure if I was lucky or cursed to be working in two schools over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before it hit in March 2020, I already knew my contract at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa was ending in December. I was lucky to find a new posting at Mitchell House in Polokwane, Limpopo, starting in January 2021.
It meant navigating two different schools in the midst of a national emergency. The dynamics at Waterford Kamhlaba were slightly different as a boarding school with parents spread throughout Africa and further afield. At Mitchell House the boarding numbers are far smaller, with 90% of the families coming from Polokwane.
Despite the differences in country, nature of the school (boarding/day), and school demographic, there was a commonality of concern expressed by all stakeholders at the time. This was associated with the dangers and risks of the virus. The consequences were devastating in both school communities.
At Waterford Kamhlaba we lost two of our parents to the virus. We had a few infections among staff and learners on campus, but luckily no serious illness or even hospitalisations. Twenty-seven of our students had been unable to get home, so we had a tiny student complement to look after over the course of the pandemic.
At Mitchell House, during the course of 2021, the consequences were more severe when we sadly lost six parents to the virus. We had periodic spells of infections throughout the school. Many families at both schools experienced trauma and loss within their extended families and friendship groups as the pandemic continued to spread. The levels of anxiety were indeed very high and legitimately so.
Given these circumstances at both schools, it was clear that the job at the school was first and foremost to try and be a voice of reassurance and safety for the community of teachers, learners and their families.
The clearest message was the simplest:
- The school prioritises the safety of your children.
- The continuation of teaching and learning is of paramount importance.
- Keeping the school open and the business of the school open is essential.
The safety of students
Parents were anxious about the health and schooling of their children. Our communications had to reassure them. Firstly we had to reiterate the science of the pandemic, that the pandemic was statistically not affecting children as frequently or as severely as adults.
There were negligible cases of hospitalisation, serious illness or death amongst that age demographic. Therefore, when we had periodic outbreaks at the school, we immediately explained this to parents and consequently avoided closing down whole grade groups or even sections of the school for any length of time.
Although at Mitchell House we started online at the start of 2021, we quickly returned to face-to-face learning and after that only had one Grade 11 group return to online learning for two days after a minor outbreak of infections.
There was very little challenge from parents about decisions we made. A few periodically chose to keep their children at home, usually after some exposure to the virus at home, and these children were accommodated through online learning.
We consulted with medical experts of standing within the community before any decisions were taken. We quoted extensively from these experts or other reputable sources of information in all of our communications. Again, the aim was to reassure our community that we could keep everyone safe and continue with schooling.
This was especially important at the start of the pandemic at Waterford Kamhlaba because we had to assist in getting all boarders back to their home countries before the lockdowns came into effect.
We assessed the situation quickly, comprehensively and with an open mind, and decided to end the first term immediately. This would give boarders time to get back home without missing any teaching time; and allow both teachers and learners time to prepare for online lessons.
Apart from 27 students who stayed at Waterford Kamhlaba in lockdown until the end of 2020, all 400 boarders managed to return to their homes before borders closed.
In these circumstances, it was essential to reassure parents that we would be able to continue teaching and learning through online platforms.
Teaching and learning continuity
As students left, and in the first few weeks of the lockdown, we had to ensure all our students (in-country and abroad) had sufficient connectivity and data as well as the necessary hardware to manage online lessons.
We also had to get teachers prepped to shift to online teaching. The early closing meant that we ended up with a 17-week second term, but at that stage all of us thought the pandemic would not last long and that we could later re-arrange the school calendar.
Assisting with travel arrangements, helping our students get connected from wherever in the world and communicating the new lesson and school programme (assemblies, meetings, community service, tutor meetings) was essential in reassuring our families that the schooling of their children would be able to continue uninterrupted.
Trouble-shooting and regular communications were essential to achieving a level of trust between school, student and family, which, in turn, is the foundation stone of any good school.
Financial continuity
Reassuring parents by communicating frequently and maintaining the highest standards of teaching and learning was crucial to achieving the third goal of ensuring that parents would remain loyal to the school and continue to pay their fees.
In both schools, parents rose to the occasion. At Waterford Kamhlaba parents accepted our explanation that in order to ensure their children would receive a good education for the next few years, several expenses needed still to be paid, and so they continued to pay the full tuition fee and, where applicable, the boarding fee (discounted for meals that were not eaten) throughout the year whilst their children were at home with them.
A number of parents had fallen on hard times, so it was important for the school to be able to assist in such cases, either by offering a COVID-19 discount relief, or by making more liberal payment arrangements.
Creating a culture of care for parents guaranteed the school its revenue stream, which was essential to ensure we could retain the staff. This was a particular risk at Waterford Kamhlaba, where international staff could easily find jobs elsewhere. Giving them security of tenure and income was a high priority, which in turn reassured parents that the school could continue to deliver a superior education through rough times and beyond.
I was privileged to have very little negative pushback from parents at both schools. Parents were encouraged to voice their financial concerns directly to the principal so that a mutual understanding could be negotiated. I know many had to go the extra mile to ensure they could keep paying the fees and providing the necessary support for their children, especially returned boarders.
The pandemic was proof that successful education is the outcome of a positive and constructive partnership between student, school and parent. I was lucky to be in two schools which demonstrated this.