Psychosocial support issues; New parenting demands during the COVID – 19 era

Abstract

COVID -19 closure of schools in Eswatini have dismantled or rippled the seven dimensions of quality education that are enshrined in Inqaba Initiative thus, affecting parents and children greatly. Through, UNICEF, Eswatini, Inqaba Initiative promotes, lobby for and mobilise schools’ provision of care, support and protection of children from diverse backgrounds and situations. The paper outlines how COVID-19 at-home learning has turned the home into the centre of care, support and protection for the Liswati child thus, overburdening parents or guardians. It is a desk review of the new parenting style demanded by the COVID -19 at - home learning. It builds up on conclusions from literature reviewed or meta-analyses data on COVID-19. The review adopted Bronfenbrenner (1970) Ecological Systems Theory and Model as lenses through which ideas discussed in this study were formed. The paper suggests that to help Emaswati children survive or cope with COVID-19 at-home learning, parents should adopt transitional parenting styles; train children self-management skills, improvisation techniques and digital group growth. It suggests to parents and guardians, ways of giving support to learners during the Covid-19 teaching and learning era, thus, adds new knowledge to education practice.