Lesufi thankful for progress made in term one

Gauteng MEC for education and youth development Panyaza Lesufi has expressed his gratefulness to all stakeholders in the education sector for ensuring teaching and learning continued throughout Gauteng schools, despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

Gauteng schools officially ended term one on April 23, with almost 2.3 million learners going on a break until the start of term two on May 3.

“We opened the 2021 school calendar on February 15 with many uncertainties, which were brought about by the new normal of delivering quality education during the pandemic. Many parents were not sure whether they should allow their children back to school as this unseen enemy called Covid-19 continued to ravage our communities. Notwithstanding those fears, the majority of parents heeded our call and released their children into our care for the 2021 school year,” he said.

Lesufi expressed gratitude to all stakeholders – from the school governing bodies to unions and learners – for their selflessness and commitment which ensured term one is completed successfully.

The MEC said some of the highlights in the past three months include the completion of online placements, the reactivation of the paperless classroom programme and the distribution of mobile classrooms to manage overcrowding.

“We are proud to declare we have placed all Grade Ones and Eights and plans for the 2022 online admissions are steaming ahead. We call on any parent whose child is still not placed in a school to urgently contact our district offices for assistance. As stated in the State of the Province Address, the provincial government is shifting the delivery of more public services onto digital platforms. Accordingly, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has repurposed its information and communication technology (ICT) investment from being classroom-based to catering more for virtual learning as a response to Covid-19,” he said.

Virtual classrooms will also be introduced and streamed live through smartboards in ICT-enabled schools and full ICT schools to enable interaction during the lessons.

“The pandemic has compelled the system to adjust to the new normal to prevent disruption to teaching and learning. Technology provides for an alternative platform for curriculum delivery with more agility and adaptability to address the educational needs of the learners more specifically and on point.”

According to the department, they are constantly assessing issues of infrastructure backlogs, ranging from the shortage of classrooms, administration blocks and ablutions which are a result of myriad challenges, including vandalism and an influx of learners into the province.

“To tackle the issue of admission and placement pressures, the GDE has in the past three months distributed 162 mobile classrooms to various schools in the province. This was done through the delivery of ordinary classrooms and Grade R mobiles to cater for schools that had no facilities dedicated for Grade R learners. The department is also continuing to transfer funding to schools for the construction of brick and mortar classrooms.”

Lesufi added that despite the strides made in the delivery of school infrastructure, their challenge continues to be criminal elements.

During the 2020 academic year, vandalism, break-ins and arson were reported at 381 schools in the province.

Thirty-seven per cent of these schools have been affected more than once since the beginning of lockdown. The cost of rehabilitative work at these schools stands at R211-million.

“The successful conclusion of term one has emboldened our resolve to deliver quality education to all learners in our province, even during the pandemic. We support the initiative by the minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, to consider bringing back all primary school learners in term two, as we strongly believe the current rotational system is disadvantageous for learners,” Lesufi said.

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