Education minister assesses readiness for school reopening
Schools were directed to reopen in a phased approach and under strict health conditions from the 1 June starting with grades 7 and 12.
BASIC Education Minster Angie Motshekga says while most schools are ready for the reopening of schools to grade 7 and 12 learners – her department will not allow schools to reopen if the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is not available.
The country’s schools were prematurely shut on Wednesday, 26 March, a day before government implemented a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.
With the country moving to alert level 3 of the nationwide lockdown, schools were directed to reopen following a decision taken by the National Coronavirus Command Council that the doors to learning reopen in a phased approach and under strict health conditions from the 1 June 2020 starting with grades 7 and 12.
In other news: Basic Education postpones mid-year matric rewrite exams
Under the regulations governing the reopening of schools, learners and staff are required to undergo screening every day before entering the school premises and must have PPE’s in the form of face masks. Sanitisers must also be delivered for the use of all on the school grounds.
“We are working towards the 1 June because just re-orientating the space is not easy. We are expecting that on Monday and Tuesday we can use for inductions, reorientation and to make sure that we can thoroughly deal with the health issues. On Monday, I’m expecting them to deal with the orientation and the distribution of PPEs to kids, making sure that every child has their own books,” Motshekga said.
Motshekga said she expects learning to effectively resume on Wednesday.
“On the 1st of June whoever is ready must start but if they didn’t get their PPEs in time its fine we won’t force them to start if they don’t have the relevant protective clothing,” said the Minister.
Read also: UKZN to host virtual graduation ceremony
On the phasing in of other grades, Motshekga said her department will look at the capacity of schools on a case by case basis.
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