Motshekga gets support for ongoing school delay

Motshekga yesterday announced June 8 as yet another new date for schools to reopen.

At a briefing in Rustenburg yesterday, she said her decision was due to three reports presented to the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) at the weekend, which showed the country was at different levels of readiness.

The first report looked at the state of readiness; the second on Rand Water and the supply of water to various schools; and the third a technical report from the heads of education departments committee on the state of readiness for the phased-in reopening of schools.

“In the main, it was for this reason that the CEM determined that the sector requires more time to map out its state of readiness for school reopening, in order to comply with the health and safety standards of Covid-19.”

Rand Water had come on board to supply water to more than 3,000 schools and was currently aiding 2,634 schools in the country.

It would also be installing tanks and pipes in some areas.

Delivery of more personal protective equipment was expected this week, Motshekga announced.

But it was clear she was trying to put the interests of pupils first, said education activist Hendrick Makaneta.

“This is something we appreciate as activists and we will continue to monitor the situation and ensure any challenges are reported timeously.”

But the Education Union of SA was disappointed, saying the reopening of schools would only be “killing” pupils and teachers.

The union planned to approach the High Court in Pretoria today in a bid to interdict Motshekga’s decision to reopen schools.

“We will be meeting with her representatives in court. We are going to make sure schools don’t open because she is adamant on her decision to kill teachers and [pupils],” said spokesperson Kabelo Mahlobogwane.

“She should first check whether the country is managing the spread of the coronavirus. Failure for the department to meet its own deadlines only showed ongoing failures within the department.”

Motshekga had had a month to arrange the relevant protective equipment since her initial announcement on 30 April to reopen schools, said Equal Education in a joint statement with Section27.

“The failure of the [national] and most provincial education departments to comply with their undertakings and meet their own deadlines in terms of preparing schools for reopening unfortunately mirrors their ongoing failures to provide textbooks and essential school infrastructure like toilets and scholar transport.”

– rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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