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The Citizen reports that concerns about crowded classrooms will not stop the Department of Basic Education (DBE) from finishing the curriculum while observing Covid-19 protocols.
On Thursday, DBE Minister Angie Motshekga visited a school in Mangaung, Free State, that taught with full capacity classrooms. “It was indeed working. We would assess the issues and difficulties that came up,” she said. Motshekga added that she was aware that teacher unions had written a letter to the department regarding grievances about the social distancing rule of 1m in schools. She commented: “We will be meeting them and give them a report because initially we all agreed on the 1m-rule. We always consider all measures which help to have as many pupils as possible at in schools. We would explore different measures such as using a school hall as we had to ensure pupils were back to school but must also keep them safe.” The SA Democratic Teacher’s Union (Sadtu) Nomusa Cembi said the union was monitoring situations at primary schools and was unhappy. “Going back to using their rotational timetable was a better option, because the full-capacity option was not a good idea. Schools should follow the deviation provisions contained in the Gazette as it explained other possibilities that could be explored,” she indicated. Other unions were not consulted about the proposed reduced social distance of 0.5m in primary schools, Cembi claimed. These included the National Teachers’ Organisation of SA, the National Teachers Union South Africa and the Professional Educators Union.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen
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