BusinessLive reports that only some 12 hours before pupils were set to return to school after a 10-week closure, Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Angie Motshekga delayed the reopening to 8 June.  

The announcement on Sunday night came as some pupils in hostels had already returned to school, and parents had prepared to take their children to school in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.  It also came after the Western Cape informed schools to reopen on Monday, which authorities said would still happen.  The DBE advised that, while schools would still reopen on Monday with the return of school management teams, teachers and nonteaching staff, pupils would now return to school next Monday.  The phased reopening will see only grade 12s and grade 7s return on 8 June.  Education unions have indicated that out of the nine provinces, only the Western Cape and Gauteng were close to being compliant with the measures that must be put in place for reopening.  Access to water and personal protective equipment was of particular concern.  Mugwena Maluleke of the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said the union wanted a uniform date for all pupils.  Chris Klopper of the SA Teachers’ Union (SAOU) said their position was that schools that were ready could open, but if a school could not comply it should not open.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Claudi Mailovich at BusinessLive
• Read too, Education department now says pupils will only go back on 8 June, Western Cape disagrees, at News24

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page