SA is far from ready to open schools, teacher unions insist

The back-to-school plan is seemingly dead in the water, with a survey conducted by the country’s major teacher unions revealing that the basic education department’s plan and optimism was based on “vague, discrepant and inaccurate information” on Covid-19 school safety readiness.

The majority of principals in 9,365 schools sampled for the National Baseline Survey of Principals on Schools Readiness report that they were yet to receive health and safety guidelines (79%), had not heard from their circuit manager (60%), and that their offices were yet to be cleaned and sanitised (92%).

The survey was conducted by the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation (Naptosa), Professional Educators Union (PEU), National Teachers Union (Natu), South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the South African Teachers Union ahead of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s announcement of a 1 June school re-opening plan.

The unions lamented that information fed by officials to provincial departments and then to the minister did not reflect the ground-level situation.

“There are definite discrepancies between the two sets of information, hence the unions’ need to release the results of the survey,” the unions said in a joint statement yesterday.

The purpose of the survey, according to the unions, was not only to strengthen the collaboration between the department and labour in terms of safety for teachers and pupils, but also to verify the information conveyed by Motshekga.

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The unions said vague and general statements like “the first consignments have arrived in schools and more deliveries will be made as time progresses”; “the reports we got are showing that preparations have been taking place and good progress has been made” and “all indications are that the preconditions for the reopening of schools will be met…” might sound positive, but in fact meant very little.

“The plan to assure the safety of the workers, pupils and parents is shrouded by this vagueness. Evading the realities obtained on the ground is a cause for concern.

“But [Motshekga] cleverly deflected these real facts by stating that school readiness will progress as we count down to the re-opening of schools,” the unions said.

The unions, key in the successful back-to-school plan, have called for the non-negotiables to be met before members report for duty.

“…if (personal protective equipment) had not arrived and the required cleaning had not taken place when teachers return on Monday, they are not to endanger their lives by entering schools,” the unions said.

The scandalous track record – with textbook delivery in Limpopo, sanitation and pit latrines – is also back to haunt the department, with civic organisations choosing a “cautious” approach to the department’s plans.

Section27 attorney Samantha Brener said they will be monitoring the plan, considering the department’s previous record in keeping promises.

“With regards to sanitation, promises made back in 2014 have not been kept,” she said.

Brener said they expected the roll out of PPE in schools to happen as quick as possible to ensure that everything was in place come the June 1 D-Day for Grade 7 and 12 to return to school.

Jaco Deacon, deputy chief executive officer of the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools, said: “We know most provinces are not ready, they don’t communicate with governing bodies. Schools are still waiting for PPE and cleaning material and still don’t know who will help with screening and cleaning,”

– siphom@citizen.co.za

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