PPE, teacher shortages concerns as pupils return

SCHOOL principals are worried that the necessary support and material will not be in place when thousands of pupils return to school on Monday.

According to a circular sent to schools this week, from Monday, August 24, all grades will be back at school, with some grades getting days off weekly.

Some principals, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the schedule was meaningless as the conditions on the ground had not been addressed.

They said they were still waiting for substitute teachers, extra teachers and personal protective equipment (PPE) to be delivered.

The Mercury reported yesterday that close to 6000 teachers were considered vulnerable to Covid-19 due to age and comorbidities, and had applied to be allowed to stay at home.

“The department does not understand the realities on the ground,” said one principal.

“There is not enough manpower in schools to handle splits (to ensure physical distancing). No substitutes have been sent to schools to cover those teachers with comorbidities or on leave to cover splits.

“More critically, we have not received the PPE for all the returning pupils,” said the principal.

“Our KZN officials, who are really out of their depth, are passing the buck onto school principals, who are expected to wave magic wands and increasingly are being threatened that they have to make ill-considered plans work.”

The class schedule shows that grades 3 and 4 will come to school only on a Friday. Grades 10 and 11 will attend three times a week.

Grades R, 1 and 6 will come to school on a Monday and Tuesday, while grades 2 and 5 will attend on Wednesday and Thursday. Grades 8 and 9 will also attend on Wednesday and Thursday.

This schedule could still change as it is only applicable for the first week of reopening, thereafter schools could draft their own rosters.

Grades 12 and 7 will be attending every day.

Department spokesperson Sihle Mlotshwa said everything would be in place when pupils return on Monday.

He said suppliers were delivering PPE to schools and “the issue of comorbidities is something that we treat case by case, but there is not going to be a situation where our pupils are without a teacher”.