Following the extended summer break, South African public primary and high school learners returned to school on February 15, with some of the little ones marking their first day of school.
The Advertiser visited a couple of schools in Boksburg to check how the ‘new normal’ at schools looks like with the adjusted Covid-19 safety measures and the enrolment of new learners in Grade One and Eight.
At the schools, everybody was approaching the task of the safety of learners and staff as their number one priority. Parents accompanying their children appeared happy and others came in to register their children who were not yet placed.
Management at the different schools said all plans were in place to ensure the safety of teachers and learners. These included the mandatory wearing of masks, temperature checks, social distancing and lots of handwashing for those coming to school.
Schools have split learners into two groups, with one half in schools on certain days and the other on the other weekdays to allow for safe distancing. Those with limited space converted open spaces into classrooms to avoid overcrowding.
Many classrooms had been completely reorganised, with desks in rows instead of being pushed together into larger tables. In most schools, teaching and learning started immediately after orientation, where learners learned new ways of behaving.
Lakeside Primary School
Lakeside Primary principal Craig Jansen said the first day of school went smooth, and they were looking forward to a successful 2021 academic year. Of the total 1 341 children, 200 were Grade One learners, with two sets of twins enrolled in the four Grade One classrooms.
Goede Hoop Primary School
Apart from a few glitches earlier in the morning, the welcoming of learners went smoothly at Goede Hoop Primary. According to the school principal, José Grotewold, the staff faced a minor challenge to deal with scores of parents who flocked to the school to seek help to get their children registered. The challenge, however, was subsequently overcome and parents were assisted to fill out the required forms to register their children. On Monday morning, the school had 190 learners enrolled in Grade One, but more parents were still coming in and management expected the overall number to increase to almost 400 Grade Ones. Parent Noluthando Ziqubu, who dropped off her Grade One twins Maningi and Ziningi, described the reopening as a relief, saying opening schools will help with childcare for working parents. “I’m pleased that our children are in school. It is best for many families because I consider the school safer than the township where children are left on their own roaming the streets unsupervised.”
Laerskool Westwood
Laerskool Westwood welcomed about 126 Grade Ones this year. According to Anelle Myburgh, head of marketing, the school is ready for the 2021 academic year. “I believe the learners are excited to start Grade One, and Westwood is adhering to all Covid-19 protocols. We even opened an extra class for our Grade Ones. The safety of our learners and teachers is a priority. Grade Two to Six learners are still coming to school on a rotational basis,” Myburgh explained.
Hoërskool Oosterlig
Francois Nel, the principal of Oosterlig, said there were about 250 Grade Eight learners enrolled at the school, adding that Oosterlig was ready to welcome back its learners. “All the Covid-19 precautionary measures are still in place because the safety of our learners and staff members is important. We divided our learners into two groups. The one group will attend classes at school on weekdays from 7.30am until 11am while the other group will be at school from noon till 3pm,” the principal said.
Laerskool Goudrand
Enthusiastic Grade Ones were excited to begin their school year at Goudrand, despite having to do so under the new Covid-19 world we live in.
Windmill Park Secondary School
Windmill Park Secondary School had not yet received its stationery, including textbooks, when this publication visited the school on the first day of school. However, teaching and learning got underway immediately. The school is using a rotational attendance schedule for Grade Eight, Nine and 10. The other grades will be attending Monday to Friday.
Dawn Park Primary School
This school also had a smooth reopening, with more parents still coming in to register their children on the day. The school’s group of Grade Ones started their 2021 academic year on February 16. They will then be split into two groups, which will follow a weekly schedule.
Windmill Park Primary School
Teaching and learning for learners except Grade Ones started on Monday. Meanwhile, Grade Ones at this school held their orientation on Saturday and were expected to return to school on February 16.
Excitement
Overall, the children appeared excited to be at school. And if the comments of parents on our social media platform are anything to go by, the level of confidence for a return to school remains high among parents. However, there were some parents and organisations that expressed their concerns about the opening of schools amid the second wave of the pandemic. The Gauteng Department of Education said there was a total of about two million primary and high school learners expected to pursue their 2021 academic year in the province.
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