Two succumb to Covid-19 related illnesses at provincial marking centres

TWO markers who were part of the matric marking process died shortly after their arrival at their respective centres.

The news was highlighted the provincial premier, Sihle Zikalala, who together with the provincial MEC for education, Kwazi Mshengu, visited the Umlazi District marking centre in uMlazi Comtech.

The visit was part of the department’s commitment to ensuring that every marking centre adheres to Covid-19 protocols to create conducive and safe spaces for markers to carry out this critical function without being anxious about their health and safety.

The premier also sent his condolences to the families of two markers who died following their arrival at the centres.

Zikalala said the following day of the two deceased’s arrival, they complained about health issues and were taken to the hospital, where they passed on.

“We send our condolences to their families because we have to take that responsibility because they had arrived in the marking centres. Whether they left home sick or not, for us, that is neither here nor there. These are people, these are teachers who worked with the department and have always been with the department to contribute to the upliftment and the education of our children,” he said.

He said of the 8 730 markers who are distributed and located in 30 centres across the province, only 110 withdrew their services, but had been replaced. He said he was pleased with supervisors who ensure that the process is conducted in a conducive environment.

“In each class you have at least 12 to 18 makers and ordinarily the class would take more than 30 people. We are also grateful and want to thank the department for ensuring that even those who are accommodated in the centres, that the accommodation is provided in a manner that conforms and adheres to safety regulations,” he added.

Kwazi Mshengu said he was pleased with the statistics so far.

“Not a single child died of Covid-19. Actually, we did not even register a single case where we were told that there was a spread in a particular school premises. The cases that we report as positive for teachers, as well as learners, actually contracted the virus outside the school.”

“Because of the tightness of our system, we were able to detect them and refer them to the hospital for testing. Our systems have been tested and proved to be effective in the past year and we believe that perfecting the area where we were faltering or had challenges will make our schools safer places to be for our learners,” he said.