Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and learners of the effects of Covid-19 on the teaching and learning process in the selected secondary schools in Kapiri- Mposhi District.  Methodology: Ten schools were selected using random sampling from the urban and rural parts of the district, from which a total of 197 participants comprising 100 grade 9 and 12 learners and 97 teachers, were sampled. A questionnaire, face to face interviews and focus group discussions were also used to collect data for this study. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that COVID-19 was viewed to have had affected the teaching and learning negatively, as it was considered to have led to negative effects such as the closure of schools, loss of learning time, ineffective teaching and learning, poor or unequal access to learning opportunities, especially between learners in the urban and rural located schools regarding online learning. Out of 197 respondents, most of the participants (90.9%) agreed that COVID-19 may lead to unequal access to educational resources, and also that school closures may negatively impact teaching and learning outcomes, especially for the underprivileged. Further, 88.8%, 87.3%, 86.8% and 85.8% of the respondents were of the opinion that learners may substantially lag behind especially in reading and mathematical subjects, stigmatization of infected learners and staff may heighten absenteeism, school closures may put strain on parents and teachers to provide childcare and manage distance (remote) learning while learners were out of school, and risky behavior may increase that may lead to increased teenage pregnancies and substance abuse among learners, respectively. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes to literature by providing more insight on how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the teaching and learning in the selected schools, it provides knowledge and insights which could also be used to understand the effect of the pandemic on education in general and thus help in finding solutions for such emergencies in future.

This study examined the knowledge of teachers and learners of COVID-19 and further determined their awareness levels of the mitigation measures that were put in place by the government of the Republic of Zambia in order to ensure a safe and conducive environment for teaching and learning amidst the COVID -19 pandemic. Methodology:The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of 34 items, and focus group discussions were also done. Ten schools were selected using simple random sampling from the urban and rural parts of the district, from which fifty (50) grade and fifty (50) 12 learners and one hundred ten (110) teachers, giving a grand total of 210, were selected through simple random sampling. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data to generate descriptive statistics and other measures. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used. Qualitative data was collected through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions, while a questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. The results were presented using frequencies and percentages. Further statistical independent (2 tailed) Mann-Whitney U-tests were carried out to show whether there were differences in the research variables. Findings:The findings revealed that the participants were knowledgeable about the COVID-19 pandemic with a percentage of between 98% and 67%. In particular, participants indicated that they knew the various COVID-19 symptoms, methods of how COVID-19 spread, and that there was no vaccine at the time of the study. Further, this study showed that the participants were aware of the majority of the mitigation measures that the government through the Ministry of Health and Ministry of General Education put in place to curb the spread of the corona virus with a percentage of 99.5% to 67.5 %. Notably, participants showed that they were aware of mitigation measures such as social distancing, closure of schools, alternative ways of learning like online learning, television and radio education channels and, in some cases, homeschooling. Results from the U-test suggest that there was homogeneity between the participants across the various socio-demographic factors in terms of their COVID-19 knowledge and mitigation measures. These findings were also confirmed through the information obtained qualitatively through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy:The study contributes to literature by providing more insight on the importance of teachers and learners being knowledgeable about what COVID-19 is, how it spreads and the mitigation measures. This is because when people are knowledgeable and aware of something, it becomes easier to prevent and control its transmission. Knowledge is important in ensuring successful implementation of many programmes such as preventing and controlling the spread of a pandemic. This study recommends that schools through...