Reopening: Maimane ready for court battle
ONE SOUTH Africa leader Mmusi Maimane has declared he is ready to meet the Department of Basic Education in court again regarding the reopening of schools.
At the same time, the Council of Education Ministers said it was not ruling out the possibility of going to court to seek protection from all those hell-bent on obstructing schooling.
It said it had noted with disappointment and dismay the sporadic attempts by political and civic organisations to disrupt learning at some schools around the country.
It appealed to all aggrieved organisations rather to engage through the usual platforms.
The council said it was regrettable that leaders would choose schools as a “theatre of political posturing and muscle-flashing while the department was working on creating a safe environment for learning and teaching during Covid-19”.
“Failure to desist from these regrettable acts will leave us no choice but to exercise our options in terms of the South African Schools Act to make sure we protect our schools, educators, learners and the rights and interests of parents who wish to take their children back to school,” Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said.
She said some of the organisations had lost in court and were resorting to disruptive behaviour.
“Some parents wish not to return their children to school because they have comorbidities and this is a fact well understood and embraced by the department.
However, Maimane said: “If the department feels strongly that fighting for the right to life is a political issue and wants to take us to court, well, I look forward to meeting them in court.
“The ministry made the same argument in court, that this was being politicised. Fact is we are seeing an increase in infections; learners, teachers and support staff are contracting the virus. More schools are opening and shutting on a regular basis. It can never be political to say the right to life is supreme over other rights.
“Our fight is to safeguard the lives of our learners and teachers, delaying learning will safeguard and adjust the curriculum and have fewer people spreading the virus.”
He said the department was failing to acknowledge that there were many schools lacking basic services, and some of the interventions made were not working.