Editor’s note: We would like to thank Noluthabo Wawa, Language and Writing Consultant at the Teaching and Learning Centre at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa for providing this collection of responses. To contact the author, please email TLC. If you would like to share your writing center’s experience during COVID-19, please submit via WLN.

            Noluthabo Wawa

It is no secret that Covid-19 has negatively affected not only South Africa but also the world as a whole, thousands of lives lost, jobs in the pipeline and an economies risk collapsing. Educational institutions closed, student with no access to education with time passing. The defeat from students splash all over the internet with no hope of things getting back to normal. This does not only affect students alone but also the lecturers and tutors with so much to do to save the academic year. Internet and social media are the main teaching platform with thousands of students from poor background with no access to these learning devices. Most institutions have no catch-up plans yet. Covid-19 came as a shock and a surprise putting public and private institutions of South Africa in a tight corner with no budget or a plan on how to tackle this worldwide pandemic. This put a lot of pressure on tutors, as they have to work hard, hand in hand with lecturers installing back motivation to surrendering students.

In the end, Covid-19 could be the major cause of sudden increase in school dropouts. In the meantime, it has changed the known method of teaching and learning. The writing centre involvement with its tutors in assisting students with learning has been on shutdown due to the closure of the University. This put our jobs as language and writing consultants on hold. The use of platforms like WhatsApp, blackboard and emails where students interact with the writing centre and its tutors regarding their assessments and online consultations before tests could be the new way forward. However, online method of education might be challenged by lack of network in some parts of the country where some students might be residents, which still proves importance of physical teaching and learning method. Some students might not have access to smart phones or laptops for this kind of learning. This does not only put the University under pressure but also students with a semester now lost with no clear effective plan on how to bounce back from this loss of time. Covid-19 has robbed the writing centre efficiency that comes with physical consultation of student and the interaction of students with tutors and SI leaders. Some students might be under the pressure of data depleting if they ask all the questions they have with online consultations.

Working from home comes with its own challenges, as a student at home you are responsible for house chores and some parents might not give you the chance to study. This environment comes with a lot of destructions with kids flooding all over you once you switch the laptop on. Neighbours might not understand when you tell them to lower the volume while studying. These are some of the challenges facing students across South Africa. Some students come from rural areas where there is no electricity, they pay to charge their laptops. This might be costly especially in this time with many breadwinners jobless.

Going back to school physically is risky but it could be the only effective measure to save the 2020 academic year. The online education method might work better without student attending classes but sitting at school residents, tools like Zoom might be useful. Zoom is an app used by institutions like the University of South Africa (UNISA) which renders distance learning. On this platform you are able as a student to ask questions without holding back because you will be using school Wi-Fi. This can include us as the writing centre where consultations can be on this app, with the promise from the University to provide 12000 laptops this can be possible.