Strategy on infections at schools welcomed

Equal Education backs case-by-case approach

EQUAL Education (EE) and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), as well as teachers’ unions, have praised the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for taking a careful, case-bycase approach to managing Covid-19 infections in schools.

EE spokesperson Jay-Dee Cyster said they believed the decision was in line with its risk-adjusted strategy and significantly helped to manage fears about school safety, while protecting learners from the harmful impact of not being at school every day.

“We also celebrate Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s announcement that our country’s 582 000 school staff will have the opportunity to be vaccinated by July 8.

“We have, since last year, appealed to the DBE to implement the risk-adjusted strategy so that teaching and learning can continue in schools in parts of the country where community transmission is low or at zero, allowing the same schools to later close when community transmission becomes high.

“Despite the DBE having developed a comprehensive digital system to guide the implementation of this strategy, no province has implemented it yet. Minister Motshekga should now ensure that provinces use this strategy to guide the case-by-case approach to the opening and closing of schools.

“Protecting the time that learners are able to spend in school is vital. EE’s learner members have explained how difficult it is when schools are closed – affecting their access to school meals and counselling, limiting their interactions with friends and their ability to learn, and hurting their mental health. For many learners, their schools provide a safe environment,” Cyster said.

EE and the EELC also welcomed the

DBE’s latest set of directions, which determine that all primary school learners return to school full time, saying the foundation phase of schooling was critical.

“Our submission to the DBE on the draft directions – before they were finalised – proposed that provincial education departments prioritise providing extra resources to those schools which are unable to return to the fulltime timetable,” Cyster said.

“We also proposed that the provincial head of department develop a register of those schools that are unable to return to a full-time timetable, to ensure that there is oversight and that schools get the help that they need to move to full-time teaching.”

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will today inform schools of its plan to inoculate those within the education sector.

Twenty-nine vaccine sites have been identified across the province.

“Schools will be notified of the time, date and centre at which their staff can be vaccinated. The roll-out is expected this week, however, we are still confirming the exact date as it’s delivery dependent,” said WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond.

On Saturday, Motshekga told the media that “Cabinet approved and supported the proposal by the sector, to prepare for the return of traditional time-tabling at primary school level with effect from the first day of the third school term on July 26, 2021”.

The National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA’s executive director, Basil Manuel, said the union was in full support of Motshekga, saying her comments had been consistent over a period of time.

Earlier, the EFF threatened to close schools if Motshekga implemented the full-time return of foundation phase learners.