The resumption of schooling to full-time learning in all schools has been welcomed in the Northern Cape.
TEACHER unions in the Northern Cape have stated that should the Department of Basic Education ensure that Covid-19 regulations are observed at all schools, the full-time return of pupils will be possible.
This follows a decision by the Cabinet this week to adjust the Alert Level 1 Covid-19 regulations, allowing for a return to daily attendance at schools.
It was announced during the special Cabinet meeting that the education sector will return to full-time learning from Monday, February 7.
The one-metre social distancing regulation for pupils in schools will also be scrapped.
The Northern Cape Department of Education said it welcomed the decision and is awaiting directives from the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga.
“We will await the directives from the minister and prepare our schools to return to the normal time-tabling model,” said Department spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe.
“The pharmaceutical interventions will remain in place and will be strictly enforced by all schools. Compulsory screening will continue and the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be closely monitored by the department,” he added.
The provincial secretary of the South African Teachers’ Union (SAOU), Henk Brand, also welcomed the decision.
“We are convinced that it is the right decision to open schools full-time. We are certain our Education Department has the capacity to implement and handle this, as it was the case before the pandemic. We are certain that the department is ready to welcome all learners back in the classroom,” said Brand.
“Our local schools will have to bear in mind that Covid-19 is still in our midst and we are still fighting a pandemic. Certain protocols like regular handwashing, wearing of masks, sanitising and the ventilation of classrooms must be adhered to. If there is no ventilation in a classroom or even if sanitising and screening is not available, the schools need to reach out to the unions as well as the department in order to address such challenges.
“We also need to be cognisant that where a large number of people are gathering without adhering to social distancing, the virus might flare up again and the number of people getting infected might increase. However, we are certain that our schools and the department will be ready to handle such cases.”
The provincial chairperson of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), Senzo Mphalala, said their union still need to discuss the matter at national level.
“We have noted the decision by Cabinet on the full-time return of learners as well as the scrapping of social distance in schools. As a union, we have however not yet met and discussed the matter at our national office. Once the national union has taken an agreement on our stance on the matter, we will be able to give our views on the matter,” said Mphalala.
“Our provincial office also has a meeting with the MEC for Education, Zolile Monakali, later this month where we will be able to share our views on the matter.”
Parents in Kimberley have meanwhile said that they have mixed feelings about letting their children go back to school full-time.
“Full-time learning is crucial to children. We have witnessed that not all parents are teachers. We also see the important role teachers play in the lives of children, especially those in the foundation phase. There have been many measures implemented for high school and middle grades, but some foundation phase learners were left idle at home. Some parents do not have the skills to teach a child to read and write. Urgent work now needs to be done to bring those children up to par with those who had the luxury of being able to continue with their schooling at home,” a parent pointed out.
“As a parent, one is worried about the possibility of your child getting infected with Covid-19, however, this virus has proven that it is here to stay. We now just need to live with the virus and do our part in staying safe as well as teaching our children about how to keep themselves safe at school.
“Our lives cannot repeatedly be placed on hold because of this virus. There are new scientific discoveries being made about the virus which have shown that we need to take individual responsibility against it. Who knows when this pandemic will come to an end?”
