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News24 reports that according to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), it’s all systems go for the reopening of schools on Monday, with health and safety to be a priority as the fight against Covid-19 transmissions continues.
Education Minister Angie Motshekga said during a briefing on the state of readiness in Pretoria on Sunday afternoon: “We will continue to maintain the delicate balance between health and safety in schools on the one hand, while on the other, we deal with the curriculum gaps, identified during the 2020 academic year. Senior managers in the sector, under the leadership of the director-general, have been working very hard to strengthen the already existing plans for 2021." Motshekga added that gazetted directions emphasised that schools should adhere to health and safety protocols to save lives and indicated that directives had been distributed to schools for implementation. According to the department, the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) is not an issue across all of the provinces. DBE director-general, Mathanzima Mweli, said provincial departments had adequate masks for pupils, teachers and support staff, adding that provinces had measures in place to ensure schools did not run out of Covid-19 essentials. At least 17,473 teachers and 4,937 pupils, excluding those from Eastern Cape, have tested positive since March 2020, the department reported. Mweli lamented that 1,169 teachers and 19 pupils have died. Motshekga said the department was continuously meeting with stakeholders and would also be using results from a health and safety survey conducted by five teacher unions.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sesona Ngqakamba at News24
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