A group of people who form part of Windmill Park’s area and SGB committee have enforced closure of all the schools in Windmill Park.
The committee has called on principals of Thulasizwe Primary School, Windmill Park Primary School and Windmill Park Secondary School to close until after the Covid-19 pandemic has reached its peak.
On July 13, the committee stormed Thulasizwe Primary and demanded the school be closed, citing concerns about the sustainability of health and safety measures in schools.
According to Peter Moropa, Thulasizwe Primary principal, the group handed over a letter to him stating he should close the school because they are concerned about the safety of learners and teachers due the coronavirus outbreak.
According to the letter, seen by the Advertiser, the area committee and SGBs of Windmill Park have agreed to close the schools in the area because the safety of teachers and learners comes first. The letter stated they would like the schools to close until the safety of teachers and learners is assured.
Moropa said he had to issue letters to parents in the afternoon to notify them about the sudden closure. The school has since advised parents to be cautious and keep their children at home until the situation has been resolved.
Meanwhile, Windmill Park Primary closed its doors on July 15 after receiving the letter. The closure of the school comes after the school reopened on July 15 following their 14-day closure after seven staff members at the school tested positive for Covid-19.
Oscar Lekoane, Windmill Park Primary principal, said: “I had a meeting with the committee members and they raised their concern about why they don’t want their children to be at school. I understand their concerns but somehow I view their decision as uncalled for. As a school, we’ve followed the necessary safety measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus by sanitising the learners regularly and screening them before they enter the school premises. We monitor social distancing among them,” he said.
Lkoane stated that he has informed the Department of Education about the new developments. He shared his fears in regards to the health and safety of learners since they’ll be at home until the school reopens when it’s safe to do so.
“Our learners are now at a risk of contracting Covid-19 because they’ll be playing on the streets the whole day. The closure will also have a negative impact on their academics because they are being left behind,’ Lekoane said.
According to a reliable source at Windmill Park Secondary, they’ll reopen next week following the school’s 14-day closure after some of the staff members at the school tested positive for Covid-19.
“The school has received the letter from the committee, but we are still waiting for the final decision from the principal to let us know if we will close or not when we reopen next week,” the source revealed.
The Advertiser spoke to two of the committee members, who wished to remain anonymous. “We had a meeting on July 10 where we decided that because the schools in our area have had numerous cases of Covid-19, we opted for a shutdown. As parents, we are concerned about the safety of our children and teachers. Until we are sure their safety is guaranteed, they will not return,” they said.
They confirmed that they have visited Thulasizwe Primary and Windmill Park Primary. They couldn’t submit the letter personally to the principal of Windmill Park Secondary because the school was closed; they will set up an appointment to see him.
The Advertiser has asked for comment from the Department of Education.
