Straddling the South African Two-School System During the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Reflective Narrative of How One Student Teacher Traversed the Changing Education Landscape

Abstract

The South African education system has been aptly described as a “two-school” education system. This description refers to one of the many legacies of apartheid, which resulted in one well-resourced school system that offers high quality education to one sector of the population, with the other under-resourced and generally struggling to achieve the same results. As part of my teacher training, I have worked in both systems. Straddling this dichotomous education system during the COVID-19 pandemic has given me valuable insights and has significantly contributed to how I envisage my career as a teacher. Through this narrative reflection I provide an account of key moments during my teaching practice module that contributed to my altered worldview. Entering the teaching profession during the COVID-19 pandemic proved very challenging, but ironically, it was this disruptive entry that has changed my worldview so that I now feel drawn to working in under-resourced schools.