Primary school and special needs pupils will revert to the traditional model of attendance in July. Picture: Twitter
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.
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?
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.
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.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.