Backyard learning during Covid-19 spurs Grade 7 pass rate.

By Tendai Chisiri
With only  2 months of the 1st term  attended and a bit of 3rd term in the 3 school terms calendar  before Covid-19 lockdown in March,  Grade 7 pass rate signifies the importance of backyard learning in marginalised communities where online learning is not common.

Ruvarashe Mubvinzi, a teenager girl aged 13 who resides in Glen-Norah and attended  Zuvarabuda Primary School in Glen-Norah scored 7  points in Grade 7 2020 exams and most of her  lessons were done at a backyard study group because of the Covid-19 lockdown introduced in Zimbabwe by the Government in March.

While students in low-density surburbs were engaged in online learning and elite schools were  rolling out online learning programmes, many  high-density and rural communities parents turned  to backyard study groups for their children’s  lessons.

“I am very thankful to Bonface Damba for teaching children in our community. My granddaughter passed well in her Grade 7 exams due to Damba’s study group”, said elated  Ruvarashe’s grandmother  Ellen Gatsi.

According to the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) 2020 had a  9.79% decrease of grade 7 pass rate  nationwide  at a time the country like the rest of the world is  battling against the Covid-19 pandemic, which  shows that backyard learning played a pivotal role during the Covid-19 lockdown in Zimbabwe.
“Girls are very bright at this stage for instance Ruva got (1) point in English  but English paper was the hardest in these exams”, said the tutor Mr Damba.
Zimsec also revealed that girls had a 5% pass rate above boys.