SCHOOLS |SKOLE Learners ready, but is it back to school?

Learners in Grades 6 and 11 were geared up to return to school on Monday, with schools who were ready also accepting grade R, but a last-minute announcement late on Sunday afternoon changed the return date for the Eastern Cape schools for these grades to 20 July.

On top of this, schools then received a directive from the Head of Education of the Eastern Cape that the grade R learners would only return on 17 August.

Asherville Secondary School principal Jeffrey Grootboom had sent out a message to parents on 3 July that, due to a shortage of teachers, the school would not be opening for grade 11 learners on 6 July. Since the school reopened for Grade 12 learners, the school has had many Covid-19-related cases among the teachers, meaning many were in isolation, as well as some being unable to teach due to risk factors of age or underlying medical conditions.

Nqweba Secondary School faces many challenges, with no permanent water supply and ablution facilities not up to standard. When the grade 12s returned, the school acquired a mobile toilet. As this would be inadequate if more children were at school, no grade 11s have returned. There are also not enough educators available to teach all the groups.

Spandau Secondary School was prepared for the grade 11s on Monday, and they followed an orientation programme at the school on that day, when the learners were addressed by the principal Eugene Mackelina.

They will return to school full-time on 20 July.

Union High School had also already prepared for grades 6 and 11, and has successfully welcomed these leaners back to school. Grade 11 learners at Hoër Volkskool are also back at school. Primary schools

Elmor Primary School in Willowmore had to closed this week, after a teacher tested positive for Covid-19. The school will be ready to welcome the grade 6 and grade 7 learners on Monday, 13 July.

Luxolo Intermediate School in Aberdeen reopened for grade 7s on Tuesday, with deep-cleaning on Monday after the school had been closed for three weeks due to coronavirus infections. The grade 6 learners will return on 20 July, but no date has been confirmed for the grade Rs. Out of 14 teachers, seven are considered high-risk as they are over the age of 60, which poses challenges for the school.

Aberdeen Primary School allowed grades 6 and 7 to return on Monday, but out of a total of 99, only 35 children attended on

The Kamdebo primary Grade R class, ready to learn, while at a distance from each other.

Tuesday. Only one teacher is not at school, who is waiting for Covid-19 test results. The school had already decided to delay the return of the grade Rs until 17 August, due to concerns about social distancing.

Kamdebo Primary in Aberdeen is in the fortunate position of having a full

complement of teachers.

They were prepared for grades R, 6 and 7 for Monday, and as they had already notified the parents that the children would return, most of the learners arrived for school. Classes for these three grades will proceed.