Gauteng may scrap June school holidays to make up for lost time

The Gauteng Education Department is considering completely scrapping the June holidays to make up for lost teaching and learning caused by coronavirus shutdowns.

This comes as education departments of Gauteng and the Western Cape work on arranging alternatives to keep children learning during the nationwide lockdown.

The Gauteng Education Department’s spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed they were mulling over this drastic step. “Once agreed and adopted, this positive gesture will go a long way in taking our education forward.”

In the meantime, both provinces are in the process of setting up tools to assist with distance learning, such as TV channels, community radio stations and digital tools, which will be broadcast during the lockdown period.

Broadcast

Mabona said the department had reached an agreement with DStv, Vodacom and Telkom to broadcast school lessons during the lockdown.

In the Western Cape, education spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said: “The timetables for, and information on these programmes, will be communicated once ready, but in the interim I would like to appeal to every parent to prioritise reading as a daily activity in your homes.”

Hammond said security has also been arranged to watch over schools during the lockdown period and the department has asked communities to be vigilant.

People interested in making use of government’s education resources can visit the following:

• mytopdog.co.za or, DStv subscribers can watch the mindset channel on 381, or pop-up on channel 317 (carrying Grade 4-9 material).
• A website from the Western Cape Department of Education: https://wcedeportal.co.za/, and examination papers can also be found at https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/exam-papers.

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