Faizel Patel – 30/05/2020
The MD of Social Innovations and author of “Where Light Shines Through” says his new book is a testament to the power of attitude to change the world.
Kimon Phitidis was speaking to Radio Islam on Friday about his book and about how teachers have experienced the COVID-19 lockdown including their sentiments about the phased re-opening of schools on Monday.
Phitidis says the reopening of schools are anxious times for teachers, parents and pupils as he Covid-19 lockdown eases.
“There are many imponderables, there are unknowns. There are concerns about COVID-19 protocols that have to be in place at each school. There are logistical challenges, so classes will have to be smaller because of social distancing. So as the grades start coming back to school, each school will have to have more classrooms, more teachers. They will have to have sufficient sanitation, sufficient water.”
He says the book is essentially about the stories of 16 South African teachers.
“Some of the teachers I interviewed have lived through very difficult and harrowing circumstances, either at home or at school. But many of these teachers have overcome. They have shown resilience, they have shown urgency. Some have actually thought about giving up teaching but they didn’t and they stay. These are teachers who have delivered on their professional and societal mandate to serve the learners at their schools.”
Phitidis says teachers agree that the challenges need to be addressed as the virus going to be in the country for a very long time and we need to live around it.
Listen to the interview with Kimon Phitidis
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