Catch-up plan in place for pupils

AS THE second term of the 2021 academic year kicked off at schools across the country yesterday, some learners entered the classroom for the first time this year while others are still waiting for placement.

By last Friday, more than 900 learners were still unplaced in the Western Cape. However, according to provincial Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond, most of these learners were allocated to schools.

She said district officials contacted parents over the weekend to confirm this, and the children were expected to report to school yesterday and during the course of the week.

“The department is on track to resolve all of the remaining placement cases on the system. We are aware that these learners have missed a full term of work, and lesson packs for the first term will be made available at the schools where the learners are placed.”

Hammond said district officials would also guide schools on how to support learners with a catch-up plan, and will be monitoring the learners' assessment results for the second term to determine which future support programmes are necessary.

She said the department would plan carefully to place those who had applied for space for 2022, and urged parents not to wait until the start of the next school year before trying to find a place for their children.

“Parents can still apply for 2022. However, their application will be a late application. Late applications and sudden growth in certain areas hinder this process,” said Hammond.

The SA Human Rights Commission and the Public Service Commission are investigating and monitoring the learner-placement issues in the province following grievances against the department by political parties, as well as teacher and learner unions.

Meanwhile, Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department was still investigating the possibility of returning all pupils at primary school level to school full time, due to the learning losses suffered as a result of Covid-19. “The proposal is now being considered at the national joint operational and intelligence structure, where the department has since delivered a presentation at the relevant work streams. The Council of Education Ministers will also consider the matter this week,” he said.