This qualitative study examined the roles of the school management teams in curriculum delivery during COVID-19 and beyond. The closure of the schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused serious disruptions to teaching and learning. Learners were expected to be engaged in learning processes via different platforms. The school management teams were given enormous responsibilities to ensure planning, implementing, and monitoring curriculum delivery during and post COVID-19. Twenty participants are purposefully selected from 10 schools ranging from primary to secondary. Focus group interviews and document analysis were used to collect data. The authors followed the thematic approach in analyzing data. The study revealed that the amount of teaching is not significant as only the quality of learning matters. It proved that planning is the best approach to academic outcomes. The authors hope the study would provide insight into lived experiences of school management teams in curriculum planning, implementation, and monitoring of curriculum delivery amidst COVID-19 and beyond.
TopIntroduction
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Corona Virus Disease - 2019 as a global pandemic, which led to the closure of schools and universities, leaving an estimated 1.7 billion learners and students staying at home according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2020). Closer to home, Namibia closed its schools on March 16, 2020, to mitigate the coronavirus spreads. The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture (MoEAC, 2020) put various methods to ensure that teaching and learning continue during the schools' closure through online learning, printed workbooks, radio and television programmes. During this time, MoEAC issued several circulars to provide guidelines to ensure continued teaching and understanding during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted many sectors in the country, including the education sector. However, amidst this crisis, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture continued to provide quality education. Hence, the curriculum was rationalized to suit the COVID-19 transitional school calendar.
The school management teams were directed to ensure that learners received quality teaching and learning activities during the closure of schools when the country was on lockdown. Therefore, this study explored the lived experiences on the roles of the school management teams roles in planning, implementing, and monitoring the teaching and learning strategies of curriculum delivery during and post COVID-19.
To achieve this aim, the following questions answered:
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How were the school management teams planning the teaching and learning to deliver the curriculum effectively during and post covid-19 in selected schools in Oshana Region?
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How were the school management teams implementing the teaching and learning strategies to effectively deliver the curriculum in selected schools of the Oshana Region?
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And, how were the school management teams monitoring the teaching and learning activities to effectively deliver the curriculum during and post Covid-19 Pandemic in selected schools of the Oshana Region?
TopBackground
The COVID-19 Pandemic ravaged the world, disrupted the teaching and learning process, and made it impossible for learners to attend formal lessons through the face-to-face approach physically. Although Article 20 of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia states that education is a right for all people and that the Government is responsible for providing it, the breakout of the COVID-19 Pandemic has made fulfilling this task more difficult. This is because the face-to-face teaching mode was the most prevalent mode of education delivery in the country. However, the prevailing situation does not remove the Government's responsibility of ensuring the continuity of inclusive and quality education delivery for all learners. The continuity of education is defined as learning opportunities provided to learners when schools are closed, and learners are at home. The understanding is that learners should be kept meaningfully engaged and learning at all times to enable them easily to re-integrate into formal learning once schools re-open. This preparation requires a situational school leader who can plan, execute and monitor the curriculum deliverance at the school.
School management teams are appointed to ensure that a school runs effectively and efficiently. Rampasad (2001) asserts that the role of school management teams is to oversee curriculum planning in the school, develop and manage assessment activities, manage teaching and learning programs, organise staff development and manage curriculum resources such as human, physical and financial resources. In other words, management develops the capacity to achieve set plans by planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and creating an organizational structure that helps to achieve the set goals. Drawing from Uugwanga (2007), Dayson (2016), and Terhoven and Fataar (2018), school management teams are accountable for every aspect of the school. They are responsible for developing a School Development Plan (SDP), Plan of Action for Academic Improvement PAAI), and Year Plans (Y.P.). It is further expected that the school management teams must have clear plans and strategies for implementing the curriculum effectively during the times of crisis, such as COVID-19.