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City Press reports that government’s plan to reopen schooling could be in jeopardy because of fears expressed by parents and teachers that schools across the country are not ready for the big step.
Teachers’ unions are threatening that their members will not turn up at schools on Monday, violating the return date for teachers as stipulated by the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Chief among the unions’ concerns are the slow delivery, or nondelivery, of essentials such as personal protective equipment (PPE), water tanks and additional classrooms. The need for deep cleansing of schools and refurbishing of vandalised classes, as well as the lack of screening of teachers and learners with pre-existing conditions, are added concerns. Teachers have told DBE Minister Angie Motshekga that they would not resume their duties until all the essential supplies required to manage the Covid-19 coronavirus had been delivered. Motshekga announced on Tuesday that all teachers must return to work on 25 May to prepare for the phased-in reopening of schools that would begin on 1 June. Only grades 7 and 12 would initially restart lessons. Allen Thompson of the National Teachers Union (Natu) asserted that “we are not going to work on Monday”. He added: “But if the employer is insisting, we will need to obtain an interdict. Some schools still do not have water. This disease requires hygiene standards to be improved. It is too little, too late.” Mugwena Maluleke of the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said provinces were not ready to reopen. A major issue of concern for teachers’ unions is that no assessment has been undertaken regarding which teachers should not report for work because of underlying illnesses, which could make them susceptible to infection.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Msindisi Fengu, Poloko Tau, Sizwe Sama Yende and Des Erasmus at City Press
- Read too, 'We're not ready': Back to school plan under fire, at TimesLIVE
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page