The Coronavirus Disease1

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused unprecedented disruption in all areas of life.
The writer is going to examine the effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through
examining the direct effects of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and indirect effects of
the measures taken by the government and school to prevent the spread of the virus and
mitigate its impact.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Most people infected with the virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and
recover without requiring special treatment. However, some will become seriously ill, require
medical attention or die at any age. Teaching and learning process can be defined as a
transformation process of knowledge from teachers to students. It is referred as the
combination of various elements within the process where an educator identifies and establish
the learning objectives and develop teaching resources and implement the teaching and
learning strategy. Teaching and learning requires wellbeing.
As of 26 April 2022 Zimbabwe had 247 729 confirmed cases of Coronavirus disease
(COVID-19), including 241 566 recoveries and 5 469 deaths a figure which included
teachers, headmasters and students. The direct impact of SARS-CoV-2 in terms of morbidity
and mortality caused untold psychological suffering to surviving work colleagues and
students. Workforce and students at some schools were severely affected because of the high
contagiousness of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) leading to some missing teaching and
learning activities. Deaths of headmasters left schools lacking leaders at a very critical time.
Measures taken by the government at various stages of the pandemic to reduce and mitigate
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include suspension of face to face lessons, e-learning
strategy and radio lessons for pupils, hand-washing at schools, regular temperature checks,
wearing of face masks, sanitising, social distancing, enforcement of compulsory vaccination
for teachers, home isolation for asymptomatic cases, isolation in institutions for severe cases
(Chingwere,2022, p1) and adjusting the school calendar and how the curriculum is
implemented
The most disruptive measure taken is related to the suspension of face-to-face classes at all
levels of education. For many students the school is the ideal platform for learning and
educational services especially practical subjects such as woodwork and also recreational and
sporting activities. For teachers assessing and monitoring learning as well as providing
feedback are important for understanding school children’s progress and taking appropriate
pedagogical actions to improve it. Drawing information on each student’s individual learning
from diagnostic and follow-up exercises, teachers can provide feedback and modify their
teaching strategies to make them more effective.
Moreover, the development of formative assessment and self-assessment instruments

facilitates a collaborative process between teachers and students for evaluating their progress
towards intended learning outcomes. This was very evident when schools opened on 7
February 2022. With support lacking at home a greater number of students had forget
concepts. According to a World Bank 2020 report dubbed the Covid-19 pandemic; Shocks to
Education and Policy Responses, learning inequality will increase, because only students
from wealthier and more educated families will have the support to learn at home.
Another way coronavirus has affected education is the mode of delivery of learning and
educational services. With suspension of face to face classes teachers had to established ways
of continuing to provide education services through various distance learning modalities such
as sending educational material through WhatsApp class groups. However lack of digital
equipment and unequal access to an Internet connection resulted in an uneven distribution of
resources and strategies affecting lower-income or more vulnerable groups (Rieble-Aubourg
and Viteri, 2020). To address lack of internet connection government also launched television
or radio programming to deliver education material.
Teachers and education staff as a whole have played a key role in the response to the
COVID-19 pandemic and have had to face a number of different emerging demands during
the social and health crisis. Most teachers have not only had to re-plan and adapt education
processes including adjusting methods and curricula, designing materials, and diversifying
the media, formats and platforms used but have also had to take part in activities to safeguard
the material safety of pupils and their families, such as distributing food, health products and
school materials.
Teachers and educational staff have had to face the demands of providing socioemotional and
mental health support to pupils and their families, which is an aspect of their work that has
become increasingly important during the pandemic. In performing their teaching activities
and meeting these new demands teachers often find themselves with inadequate training and
resources to address the challenges of adapting teaching content and formats to pupils in
disadvantaged situations. Even before the pandemic, teachers in the region had few
opportunities for training on inclusion (UNESCO, 2018b) or for working with pupils in less
favoured and more diverse contexts (UNESCO, 2013). In addition, the new circumstances
have meant teachers have to use virtual platforms and methodologies with which they may
not be familiar
In emergency situations, schools are a fundamental space for emotional support, monitoring
of risks, educational continuity, and social and material support for students and their
families. Responses should be adapted to the diversity of situations in each family and
community and their support needs. Maintaining psychological, social and emotional well-
being is a challenge for all members of the education community: students, families, teachers
and education assistants. Those who work in education, families and communities must
develop vital adaptation and emotional resilience skills. Within this framework, socio-
emotional learning is a valuable tool for mitigating the harmful effects of the social and
health crisis and a condition for learning. This requires accompaniment, support and
resources that are specially adapted for this purpose
In conclusion the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, claiming lives, exacerbating
inequalities, and threatening important progress in the education sector. Measures taken by
the government at various stages of the pandemic to reduce and mitigate coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) have also caused disruptions in the teaching and learning process.
REFERENCES
Chingwere, M. (2022, January 28). School Opening Preps Advanced The Herald, p1.
Chingwere, M. (2022, January 15). School reopening further delayed The Herald, p1.
Chingwere, M. (2021, May 31). Tighter control for Covid 19 in schools The Herald, p1.
Chingwere, M. (2020, July 14). Covid 19 blow to the quality of Education The Herald, p1.
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Coronavirus. World Health Organization. Retrieved May
6, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
Ministry of Health and Child Care - daily updates - covid 19 daily updates. (n.d.). Retrieved
May 6, 2022, from http://www.mohcc.gov.zw/index.php?
option=com_phocadownload&view=category&id=15&Itemid=742
ECLAC-UNESCO (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) (2020a),
“Education in the time of covid-19”, Special Report COVID-19, No. 1, Santiago, 3
April.
IIEP-UNESCO; GPE; UNICEF; (UK) Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

2021. Education Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines, Volume 3. Last accessed
21 September 2021: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377738/
PDF/377738eng.pdf.multi

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused unprecedented disruption in all areas of life.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Moreover, the development of formative assessment and self-assessment instruments

IIEP-UNESCO; GPE; UNICEF; (UK) Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

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