Infrastructure, human capital, and online teaching during COVID-19 disruptions: Teachers’ experiences at five South African private schools

Abstract

This study explored the lessons that were learnt about online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic in five private high schools in a suburb of Pretoria. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 15 schoolteachers (three from each school), in which they were asked about their experiences with, and perceptions of, the online teaching that they and their schools provided during the periods in 2020 when in-person schooling was prohibited in South Africa due to the pandemic. Thematic analysis of the interview data produced two categories of factors that affected the ability of teachers to successfully offer online-only teaching and learning: infrastructural factors and human capital factors. Drawing on the teachers’ inputs in these thematic areas, four lessons learnt were determined, as follows: ensure reliable power supply in support of internet connectivity; allow teacher internet connectivity on a bring your own device (BYOD) basis; ensure practical and up-to-date teacher skills in online teaching; and harness the power of peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing.

Keywords

• COVID-19, lockdowns, online learning, private schools, South Africa, infrastructure, internet connectivity, human capital, teachers, peer-to-peer learning