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COVID-19 has been observed as the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR), which has naturally advanced education five/ten years ahead of digitalisation. The COVID-19 revolution has obliged everyone to be a student needing to be educated about national lockdowns, personal hygiene practices, digital technologies, and vaccines. This study intended to explore lessons learned by higher education institution (HEI) students in Eswatini, Lesotho, the Republic of South Africa, and Zimbabwe during the COVID-19/5IR which helped them to complete their PhD studies. Using purposive with convenience sampling, this study selected twenty most accessible PhD students. The pragmatic paradigm, participatory action research (PAR), and natural identity were used to frame this study in order to guide reflective activities, Zoom focus-group discussions, and semi-structured interview data-generation methods. Findings indicated that students achieved good education on personal hygiene practices and digital technologies that assisted them to effectively deal/continue with their studies. However, education on vaccines remained a major concern because participants believed that the world was treating symptoms of COVID-19 by vaccinating humans more than dealing with the source/s of the virus before it affected humans. Consequently, this study recommends a good education that balances personal, societal, and professional needs to understand natural identities.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the adoption of online teaching and learning. Several studies show that both students and lecturers benefit from online teaching and learning in cases where contact learning cannot take place. However, other studies reveal that some students face challenges during online teaching and learning, requiring them to develop coping mechanisms. Thus, the objective of this study was aimed at accentuating the coping strategies of students for online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A non-empirical research design was adopted for this study. Search engines such as ‘Google scholar were used to sample and review documents using keywords to source relevant data that is from 2002 to 2022. Data were analysed using inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA). The study's findings show that access to online teaching and learning is challenging for some students. It was also revealed that some students cope with the challenges of online learning and teaching by employing positive strategies such as seeking support while some students employ harmful coping mechanisms such as using drugs and alcohol to cope with the challenges they face during online teaching and learning. The underlined conclusion suggests that online teaching and learning should be accessible and support systems for students should be available. Mobilisation of resources that will help all students to participate in online teaching and learning is needed.

Worldwide the emergence of Covid-19 brought about shock and many challenges in the education system. During the lockdown, schools were closed and that reduced contact time. Hence, almost 75 percent of a full school year of the curriculum was not covered. Approximately 400. 000 to 500. 000 learners dropped out of school and to date, the total number of drop-outs grown to 750.000 in South African schools. The study explored the teachers’ experiences in the teaching of Economics during the COVID-19pandemic. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative research approach and used a case study design.  The samples comprised four township secondary schools in KwaZulu Natal (Durban). Using purposive sampling, two Economics teachers were sampled. Two instruments (semi-structured interviews and document review) were used as data collection tools. The findings revealed that Economics teachers experienced problems when teaching the subject during the pandemic. They have found it challenging to adapt to the new teaching methods like using technological tools. The lack of resources and Economics instructional materials exacerbated teachers’ difficulties. The findings revealed that poor attendance for teachers and learners was extraordinary. Notably, due to fears of being sick and infected, stigmatization within the schools prevailed, resulting in bad working relations. From the findings, the study recommends new teaching approaches to stabilize and restructure the curriculum and the retainment of some of the COVID-19regulations to ensure the effective teaching and learning of Economics.

This paper explores how eLearning culture can be meaningfully instilled as an empowerment approach towards improved learning for an underprivileged rural institution. A qualitative study embedded in a case study design was undertaken. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were administered to three purposefully nominated participants. These were university teachers who rendered their teaching services in a university located within a rural community in one of the Eastern Cape Education Districts. The findings of this inquiry revealed that (i) quality teaching and learning, (ii) lack of eLearning resources and infrastructure, intertwined with (iii) attitudinal behavior from both teachers and learners, were results of inefficiency towards online learning. The study concludes with recommendations that there is an urgent need to invent motivation strategies as no single individual had ever anticipated the emergent turnaround in the entire universe, where all institutions of higher learning were forced to embark on online learning, disregarding diverseness and rurality of learner-teacher constituencies thereof, as recipients in the schooling environments.

The main objective of this investigation is to explore whether COVID 19 deaths have effects with regards to language proficiency, predominantly reading. Reading levels seem to have deteriorated as difficulties in spelling and pronunciation of simple English words were demonstrated by learners. In this qualitative inquiry, the author used a case study. The researcher perceived it essential for a qualitative approach to be embarked on hence investigating teachers’ life experiences in their natural, context-specific settings. Semi-structured interviews were administered to ten conveniently nominated secondary school teachers. A narrative analysis was used to categorize data into themes that were noted as findings of this examination. A major finding of this inquiry was (i) sudden lack of parental involvement emanating from the (ii) drastic shift in socio-relations amongst the members of the communities, this causing reading to become an overwhelming routine. The study concludes that academic attainment for most learners seems to be hindered by the decline in learner reading proficiencies. To curb the situation, it is therefore recommended that language teachers devise approaches to instill a reading culture within a classroom setting, thus limiting tasks to be administered after school hours.