Perceived psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on the teaching realities of Foundation Phase educators in selected rural quintiles 1 to 3 schools in South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted schooling, not only in South Africa, but globally. In the study reported on here we investigated the perceived psychosocial effects of the pandemic on the teaching realities of Foundation Phase (FP) educators in rural quintiles 1 to 3 schools in the North West province, South Africa. A qualitative, case study design was adopted with 10 educators purposively selected from 3 schools to participate through telephonic interviews. The findings reveal that as educators contended with the new rotational method of school attendance, challenges of limited teaching time, curriculum coverage, learner absenteeism and the lack of parental support that negatively affected their overall state of psychosocial well-being. This state of well-being was characterised by high stress levels, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and a lack of accomplishment for educators. Despite these experiences, some educators demonstrated agency and resilience in ensuring that they carried out their core responsibility of teaching, but perceived themselves as requiring psychosocial support. The conclusion reached is that the available support structures provided by the Department of Basic Education appeared to be under-utilised and there was a critical need to introduce and advocate for mental health interventions to support educators emotionally.