Balmoral College reopens for matrics

The Advertiser visited the school on Monday morning to check its state of readiness for the reopening.

June 3, 2020

Fanie Mthupha 2 minutes read

The schools has adopted innovative ways to prevent learners from mixing. These hula hoops are used to separate learners when queuing to buy from the tuck shop. Seen here is Balmoral College'sMemory Wium.

The majority of schools in the country are expected to open for all Grade Seven and 12 learners on June 8, but schools who are 100 per cent ready have resumed on June 1.

As the country entered level three of the Covid-19 lockdown, Balmoral College, in Witfield, was one of the schools with 100 percent state of readiness for the arrival of teachers and Grade 12 learners.

At the school, teaching and learning got underway under strict precautionary measures.The school said its preparations for the arrival of Grade Sevens is also at an advanced stage and the second group is expected to arrive soon.

Management said they are following the department’s stipulated health and safety guidelines, while they have done everything in their power to ensure that both learners and staff are protected from the pandemic virus. Hygiene measures being introduced in the facility include strict hand washing and disinfection regimes, physical distancing and the demarcation of the school grounds into zones to ensure pupils do not mix.

“Our facility has been made ready for the arrival of learners and staff, and we have formed a Covid-19 task team, to ensure that sanitising, health, safety, and social distancing requirements are strictly adhered to all the time,” said Memory Wium.

Wium pointed out that proper orientation and training of teachers for the amended curriculum was done, supply chain matters, including delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE), were also finalised beforehand. On Monday morning they focused on the welcoming and orientation of learners who reported back to school in terms of the new health and safety procedures that are in place.

The stipulated health and safety guidelines for the reopening of schools state that staff and learners must have adequate PPEs, social distancing of at least 1.5m apart should be practised and screening must be done. Wium added that all sporting event and extramural activities remain suspended at the school.

“We are doing all that we can to prevent infections, but our concerns is that we have no control over what happens in daily commute of learners to and from school. But as part of the orientation, learners are equipped with the right information on travelling safe. We have also held discussions with the transport providers and they reassured us that the necessary precautions to adequately protect learners will be in place. The other grades are expected to reopen progressively from next month.”