Making sense of the DOE’s return to school policy

On Saturday, the department of education (DOE) released a gazette detailing the plans they have for schools and attendance. The gazette states plans around the “return of pupils to primary schools and schools for pupils with special education needs”.

According to the DOE, from 26 July, pupils in grades R-7 will move away from the rotational attendance of pupils to the traditional model. This means children will attend lessons every day like how they did before Covid-19. This includes special needs pupils in grades R-12.

The full return of these pupils to school will depend on whether or not the risk-adjusted differentiated strategy is implemented.

[MEDIA STATEMENT] New Directions on the return to daily attendance of learners in primary schools@ReginahMhaule @ElijahMhlanga @HubertMweli pic.twitter.com/fYG4xSn8KR

— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) May 29, 2021

What is a risk-adjusted differentiated strategy?

According to the DOE “a risk-adjusted differentiated strategy means an approach to school attendance that is determined by the direction the pandemic is taking in the district municipality and country”.

Covid-19 cases in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western and Eastern Cape are higher than in other regions in the country.

For schools in these districts, the full return of pupils might not be possible, because the direction of the pandemic there will create a risk for pupils and their families.

ALSO SEE: Should parents prepare for school closure amid third wave?

What happens to schools that choose to keep the rotational attendance strategy?

The gazette makes provision for schools that are unable to fully return their pupils to school. These schools are supposed to submit their reasoning and justifications to their district office by 30 June. This request needs to be supported by documents stating “steps taken to return to a traditional timetabling model and provide reasons for the decision to adhere to a differentiated timetabling model”.

The gazette does not specify which districts should adhere to this, and purely emphasises the need for schools and their administrators to adhere to the risk-adjusted differentiated strategy.

A contradictory approach by the DOE

On 19 May, the DOE’s Council of Education Ministers decided to cancel all contact sports with immediate effect. This came after an acknowledgment that contact sports contribute to the increase of Covid-19 in schools.

ALSO SEE: Contact sports in schools suspended as Covid-19 cases rise

Over and above cancelling these sporting activities, the government set out guidelines that allow only 50% capacity in sporting venues, change rooms or training areas. They are also calling for the continued wearing of masks, social distancing, ventilation of sporting areas and not sharing of drinks and drink containers.

In his last family meeting on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said “infections are just going up and we must do everything in our power to mitigate this”.

So, how is the decision to return all primary school pupils in the middle of winter mitigation of our current crisis, which might lead us into a national third wave?

A full class of primary school-going children with little or no serious comprehension of mask-wearing and social distancing does not seem like a plausible mitigation strategy to curb a life-threatening pandemic.

With the DOE cancelling contracts for teachers’ assistants, schools have little to no resources to maintain social distancing and mask-wearing among children as young as five to 12 years old.

Strategies put in place to mitigate Covid-19 risks in schools

• Schools should adhere to the social distancing, minimum health and safety measures on Covid-19;
• Where practicable, teaching and learning may be conducted outside the confines of a classroom;
• All the available rooms or spaces at the school must be used to avoid overcrowding;
• Teachers should rotate during periods and not the pupils to avoid too much movement; and
• A cluster outbreak of Covid-19 in a school should be reported within 72 hours to the head of department through the district office.