Department of Basic Education and SABC launch Covid-19 TV and radio curriculum support programmes for pupils

The SABC and the Department of Basic Education have launched a multi-media pupil support initiative under the banner: COVID-19 Learner Support aimed at limiting the impact of the lockdown to the school calendar.

The initiative is part of the broader efforts to prevent a total loss of school year since the lockdown was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa as a measure to combat the spread of Covid-19.

The programme is scheduled to start today (April 9) and will be broadcast across three SABC TV channels and 13 radio stations with online support. The series will provide curriculum support lessons to learners in grades 10, 11  and 12 and Early Childhood Development (ECD). Some of the subjects covered include Maths, Physical Sciences, English FAL, Life Sciences and Accounting. A variety of African languages are also covered under the ECD basket.

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This initiative is also launched in anticipation of the mid-year exams in June 2020. The campaign will be providing pupils with relevant support material they need in order for them to walk into those exam rooms knowing they have received the support and information they need to tackle the exams with confidence.

Pupils are encouraged to check their local listings for the exact slots for radio. The SABC and the National Department of Basic Education created the campaign to be the daily source of information and the central shared hub for pupil support.

“We invite pupils to take full advantage of these resources as we believe they will assist them a great deal during this lockdown period to catch up with their school work and better prepare for the upcoming exams in the year,” says SABC COO Ian Plaatjes.

This multimedia initiative is supported by an online YouTube channel. If we learn by repetition, pupils will have ample opportunity to watch the content as many times as they want.

“We welcome the commitments and support from the public broadcaster to support the education programming during this time of the lockdown. Our pupils need all the support they can get in order to continue learning at home as schools are closed because of the coronavirus. We should all do our best to minimise the impact of the disruptions caused by the crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mathanzima Mweli, the Director-General of the Department of Basic Education.

The TV Schedule is as follows:

SABC 1: Monday – Sunday 05h00 – 06h00

SABC 2: Monday – Friday 09h30 -11h00

SABC 3: Mon – Fri 06h00 – 07h00

The schedule for the broadcast of the lessons is also available on www.education.gov.za as well as social media platforms. You can tune in to any of the listed radio stations and TV stations to benefit from the programmes that have been prepared for the children and their parents or guardians.

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