Rurality, Coronavirus Disease and Sustainable Learning in South Africa.

This paper aims to explore the developments and contemporary debates in relation to rurality and sustainable learning in the midst of the Corona Virus disease (COVID-19) in rural South African schools. The argument in this paper is that provision of remote learning, trimmed curricular and the use of rotational and staggered approaches during pandemics such as COVID-19 (and future pandemics) must not be seen as a panacea for all problems facing rural schools. To a certain extent, these measures perpetuate marginalisation and exclusion of many learners in these schools. The disruption is categorised as being one of unprecedented proportions. From a social critique perspective our position is that the solution to rural schools lies in an urgent completion, implementation and realisation of the policy of all Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure as enacted in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]