KZN GETS BACK TO CLASS✔
‘The turnout of pupils and teachers gives us confidence that they trust in us to ensure they are safe at school’ – KZN Education MEC
THE KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education described the first day back at school as a “success”, with very few glitches reported.
This included the delays in screening pupils before they reported to their classrooms.
Department officials were also out in full force yesterday, visiting schools to ensure compliance and to offer support to school management teams.
Schools officially resumed lessons for grades 7 and 12 countrywide yesterday after closing in mid-March because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The remainder of the grades are to be phased in over time.
KZN Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu said he had received feedback from all 12 districts that schools had reopened smoothly.
On Sunday, Mshengu said 104 schools would not be able to reopen due to water challenges.
However, National Teachers Union president Allen Thompson dismissed the number, claiming that 200 schools in the rural Msinga and uMzinyathi areas had not reopened.
They could not meet the minimum requirements for the state of readiness for schools to reopen, Thompson said.
He added that the unions had visited about 200 schools yesterday.
“In some cases we found that the schools had not been cleaned, there was no water, only the offices had been fumigated and not all the classrooms. We were even getting calls from concerned parents,” he said.
“We have written a letter to the minister of Education asking her to compel the provincial departments to release the names of the schools they said were ready, and those that were not ready. We believe they severely under-reported the problems.”
The provincial branch of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa) has also disputed that the vast majority of KZN public schools were ready to open safely.
“We have representatives in different circuits and districts who have been monitoring school readiness, and they paint a very different picture,” said union spokesperson Thirona Moodley.
Her remarks were in response to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga saying “with confidence” on Sunday that the vast majority of schools were safe and ready to reopen.
Moodley said the minister’s remarks contradicted the provincial Education Department’s own statistics on items deemed non-negotiable by unions that were needed to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
“The department in the province has indicated that 62% of liquid soap was delivered, 82% of masks were delivered and 83% of thermo scanners were delivered. How did the minister conclude that KZN is 99.5% ready to open for pupils today? It doesn’t add up,” she said.
Moodley said Naptosa urged the
Department of Basic Education to “be cautious” as stakeholders would demand accountability.
“We are protecting the health and lives of our pupils and teachers. Naptosa will continue to monitor closely and hold the department to account.”
Yesterday, Mshengu visited Sibusisiwe Technical High School in Umbumbulu and Sibongindlela High School in Folweni as part of an assessment tour.
He said that with the exception of a few minor challenges, the reopening had gone as planned.
“The turnout of pupils and teachers gives us confidence that they have the trust in us to ensure they are safe at school. As we drove here, a number of pupils were walking to their respective schools. It was a positive sign.”
At Sibusisiwe Technical High School, Mshengu found minor problems with screening that caused delays and could prove to be a daily challenge.
“The school has more than 200 pupils, we therefore need to increase our screening capacity to make sure all runs to schedule,” he said.
At Sibongindlela High School, Mshengu said they needed to supply the school with mobile classrooms to accommodate other pupils.
“We will need more space, especially when all the other pupils return. This will ensure they can safely comply with the social distancing regulations. We have directed the principal to address that issue,” he said.
Mshengu said all schools would be fully functional by the end of the week.