MEC ‘pleased’ with process
THE Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal is satisfied with the reopening of schools so far.
This is according to department spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa.
He said since Monday, Kwazi Mshengu, the MEC, has been visiting schools.
“The MEC is satisfied with operations. Preliminary reports suggest that schools are indeed following health and safety procedures,” Mthethwa said.
“While he does acknowledge minor glitches relating to water and sanitation in rural and township schools, safety remains our priority. The MEC will continue to monitor schools throughout the province.”
However, there was mixed reaction from teacher unions this week.
Allen Thompson, president of the National Teachers Union, wrote to Higher Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Monday.
He said from their findings and observations, the number of schools that were not prepared to open was far higher than what the department revealed.
“This morning alone in KwaZulu-Natal, for instance, we counted close to 200 schools which have not reopened, compared to the 104 schools, which the MEC said would be the only ones that would not be ready to reopen.
“A further disappointment was that in many cases there were no alternative arrangements to accommodate learners in schools that were ready, if their own schools were not yet ready. So many learners arrived today to find that their schools were non-compliant with respect to the Covid-19 safety and health requirements. But then, contrary to the promises made by the Department of Basic Education, these learners had nowhere to go but return home.”
He said the schools’ management teams and governing bodies also had no idea where to take pupils as they had not received plans or directions from the minister or the provincial education heads of department.
Thompson added that in Gauteng, some schools were without water and in Mpumalanga there were incidences where only teachers were supplied with masks, while pupils remained without.
Thirona Moodley, the provincial chief executive of the National Professional Teachers’ Union in KZN, said they found pupils were not adhering to the rules.
“Our teachers were prepared for pupils. However, some pupils were not compliant with the rules. They were removing their masks and some were not social distancing.
“While the teachers were doing all that they could, the pupils were not understanding the seriousness of Covid-19.
“I am, however, confident that within the next few days pupils will adjust to the new normal.”
Paul Colditz, chief executive of Fedsas, the national representative organisation for governing bodies, said their reports indicated that everything had gone well. “A small number of learners from Grade 7 did not attend school but the vast majority of matriculants were present at their schools.”
Matakanye Matakanye, general secretary for the National Association of School Governing Bodies, said they were happy with the return of pupils to school.
“It went very well. We are overall happy at the response from pupils that attended. Only a small number of pupils did not attend school. The only hiccup I know of is from a school I personally visited where two pupils had underlying conditions and could not be allowed in.”
The South African Democratic Teachers Union had not commented at the time of publication.