PPE for schools is shoddy and ineffective
Video shows sanitiser for pupils too low on alcohol to sustain a flame
A video on social media has revealed how pupils at a school in Alfred Nzo district have allegedly been using an ineffective hand sanitiser to fight Covid-19.
According to the video, in which a teacher conducts an experiment on the effectiveness of the sanitiser, Mbodleni Senior Secondary School pupils are using a water-based sanitiser, which is ineffective in the fight against the coronavirus.
The teacher in the video uses a burning match to test the presence of alcohol in three different sanitisers: one for teachers, one for pupils and a store bought sanitiser.
In the experiment, two sanitisers maintain the burning flame while the sanitiser for the pupils kills the flame.
“If the department sees this, then we have been robbed by whoever supplied us with this sanitiser. This is proof that the sanitiser provided at Mbodleni and other schools in KwaBhaca may be compromised.
“This is not proper sanitiser and the coronavirus cases are going to increase, because we’re not properly cleaning the children’s hands. This isn’t sanitiser,” says the teacher in the video.
The Daily Dispatch was unable to make contact with the teacher on Thursday.
The international Centre for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using a hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol.
Former Eastern Cape health MEC Bulelani Goqwana confirmed that alcohol-based sanitisers were required to fight the virus.
“Hand sanitisers must have a high volume of alcohol in order to break down cytoplasm [cell material]. If it is without alcohol or has a low presence of it, it won’t do anything to fight the virus,” he said.
Eastern Cape education spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani had not responded by print
This is not proper sanitiser and the coronavirus cases are going to increase, because we’re not properly cleaning the children’s hands
deadline to questions sent on Thursday.
The teacher at Mbodleni is not the first to raise issue with the quality of products meant to help curb the spread of the virus. Other schools have complained of compromised personal protective equipment (PPE).
Nomawethu Ntshabo, school governing body member at Masibonisane Senior Secondary School just outside King William’s Town, said the school “wasn’t pleased” with the PPE they had received.
Although the sanitiser seemed compliant, the masks were a problem.
“When the PPE arrived, it was not up to standard. The masks were not alright at all. There was a suggestion from the school that we borrow from the primary school but as the SGB, we thought that wouldn’t be alright as they would have a shortage,” said Ntshabo.
A primary school teacher in East London, who asked to remain anonymous as teachers are not supposed to speak to the media, said the quality of masks at the school was not up to standard.
“The school resorted to purchasing some of its own PPE, as the masks given to us were a joke. They were paper thin and wouldn’t be effective,” said the teacher.
Phumza Sanqela, an SGB member at Noncedo Combined School in Ducats, said she hadn’t seen any PPE at the school, although the principal had said the PPE had arrived.
“You can see that the teachers wear they own masks, not the ones which were supposedly delivered to the school by the department. I’m yet to see the PPE of the school. The learners do have masks on them though when they are in class,” said Sanqela.
Noncedo recently had to close its primary school as the premises had not been properly decontaminated. According to a parent at the school, only water and soap were used to clean and no proper chemicals were given to clean the school.
Remmington Madikane, SGB member of Gasela High School just outside King William’s Town, said the initial delivery of PPE to the school was not up to standard.
“We had to take the PPE back because the quality was compromised. The masks were thin and the sanitisers were not enough and didn’t seem to be effective. We had to take everything back and ask for a brand new order,” said Madikane.