12023 41(2): 1-2 https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i2.7440 Published by the UFS http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie © Creative Commons With Attribution (CC-BY) Editorial Over the past decade we have witnessed an explosion in the number of studies focusing on education in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the vast number of articles in this edition of Perspectives in Education will focus on education during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will start by looking at several other topical issues related to education in times of crisis. We open the discourse with the insightful article on interaction between teachers’ emotional intelligence and classroom management by Kirikkaleli and Kanbur. They argue that educators with well-developed emotional intelligence have a positive effect on academic achievement and that these teachers also increase their classroom management skills, but does this claim also hold true in the science education classroom? Remaining with the issue of leadership, in the next article by So-Oabeb and Du Plessis we look at leadership competencies for teacher professional development in Namibia, as well as at factors that influence public school principals’ professional discretion in an article by Beyers and Du Plessis. Very often researchers tend to focus their attention on school-based education. In the next article by Shushu, we look at the experiences of mathematics subject advisors when conducting school support visits. Some significant findings come to the fore in this study when he points out that some negative union influence, lack of specialisation in mathematics by foundation phase departmental heads, lack of coherence in communication, and lack of cooperation and collaboration amongst district officials act as inhibitors in the delivery of quality education. Teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic was indeed very challenging. The closing of schools and higher education institutions has disrupted the learning of learners to a great extent. New ways had to be found to use online opportunities to continue with the education of learners. Regardless of how challenging the COVID-19 pandemic was, many lessons were learned that could benefit education in future years. In this edition of Perspectives in Education we look at some of those lessons learned. We open the discussion with an insightful article on exploring South African university academics’ level of preparedness for the emergency multimodal remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic authored by Ugwuanyi and AUTHOR: Jan Nieuwenhuis1 AFFILIATION: 1University of the Free State DOI: https://doi.org/10.38140/ pie.v41i2.7440 e-ISSN 2519-593X Perspectives in Education 2023 41(2): 1-2 PUBLISHED: 30 June 2023 https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i2.7440 http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=11341 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/530481521735906534/Overcoming-Poverty-and-Inequality-in-South-Africa-An-Assessment-of-Drivers-Constraints-and-Opportunities http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/530481521735906534/Overcoming-Poverty-and-Inequality-in-South-Africa-An-Assessment-of-Drivers-Constraints-and-Opportunities http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/530481521735906534/Overcoming-Poverty-and-Inequality-in-South-Africa-An-Assessment-of-Drivers-Constraints-and-Opportunities https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i2.7440 22023 41(2): 2-2 https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i2.7440 Perspectives in Education 2023: 41(2) colleagues. The findings demonstrate that most of the academics in the education faculties lack the necessary preparation for distant teaching and learning. This is attributed to the fact that academics and students felt that they did not receive any support as they transitioned from routine to unusual working conditions. In the next article by Cherrel Africa et al. they explore the role of crisis leadership during the pandemic, indicating how people were unprepared for this role. This is further illustrated in the article by Hlatshwayo, Zondi and Mokoena when they indicate how the pandemic has caused anxiety amongst academics. At many higher education institutions education took on an almost emergency approach. This is well illustrated in the article by Hu and Venketsamy, but also in the article of Pietersen when he discusses perspectives on dialogue and care in teaching and learning relationships in an ever-changing online higher education landscape. If there is one lesson that higher education institutions learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that students very easily become discouraged and lose interest and commitment towards their studies. This is well illustrated in the research of Moosa and Aloka when they review factors that kept first-year students motivated at a university in Johannesburg. Another case in point is the research of Ndlovu et al. regarding students’ acceptance and perceptions of online assessments after the COVID-19 pandemic. A review of the research that emanated from the pandemic is that new strategies emerge for dealing with education in times of crisis. In this regard, Mnisi argues a case for deliberate and accommodative design for blended teaching and learning at universities in developing countries, while Khumalo et. al. discuss how technology-mediated advising for student success could be achieved through the implementation of self-mediated academic support. It is trusted that you will find this edition of Perspectives in Education informative and stimulating and in support of your own research within the field of education. https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i2.7440 _Hlk120781552