On 20 October, learners at the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg (DSJ) returned to school for the first time in 217 days.
Marketing manager at the school, Savo Ceprnich said the school sent out a survey to all parents, teachers and learners with more than 80 per cent of respondents voting for the return to school.
One of the reasons for the return was, despite the successful implementation of e-learning and support structures, a small percentage of learners marks dropped significantly.
“The DSJ community is very diverse and e-learning was hindered by factors like data, Wi-Fi, access to technology and electricity,” said Ceprnich.
He added that upon their return to school, learners and staff underwent daily screenings, masks were compulsory and learners needed to remain more than one metre apart and classes may not exceed 20 learners per class.
Ceprnich said DSJ was more than a school and the learners missed the social element of physically attending classes.
“There is a basic right to health, but there is also a basic right to education. Lockdown has compromised on many basic rights and people missed coming to school. South Africa had one of the harshest lockdowns in the world and this took a huge toll on our community. We are now living a ‘new normal’ and people are willing to risk more.”
He said teachers who formed part of a risk group were provided with additional protection measures while learners who came from homes that were at high risk were permitted to stay at home.
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