South Africa’s major teachers’ unions are threatening that their members will not turn up at schools tomorrow, violating the return date for teachers stipulated by the department of basic education
Government’s plan to reopen schooling could be in jeopardy because of fears expressed by parents and teachers that schools across the country are not ready for the big step.
They said the provinces were not ready to reopen schools and handle the influx of learners and teachers. Matakanye Matakanye, spokesperson for the National Association of School Governing Bodies , said some schools were yet to receive PPEs and that there were no clear plans on how water would be delivered to them.“The department said a week ago that they were not ready, but they are not saying now what is it exactly that was done and where, that now makes the system ready.
Anthea Cereseto, CEO of the Governing Body Foundation, said some education districts had supported schools by providing permits for principals and then authorisation for them to issue permits to staff. “But if the employer is insisting,” he added, “we will need to obtain an interdict. Some schools still do not have water. This disease requires hygiene standards to be improved. It is too little, too late.”
Basil Manuel, executive director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA , told City Press that the basic education department was “stumbling in the dark” with regard to the assessment of teachers. This week, Motshekga urged parents to disclose pre-existing illnesses of their children – a move that has been criticised by concerned parents as making public confidential details about their children’s health status and putting the lives of their children at risk.
On Friday, North West education MEC Mmaphefo Matsemela said the provincial department was ready to reopen schools and assured the public that the hygiene “non-negotiables” would be completed on time. She said that about 1 400 people would be employed to conduct the screening of pupils and teachers three times daily.
The KwaZulu-Natal department of education said funding shortfalls, supplier ineptitude and hard choices on how to implement social distancing had added pressure on officials, who had been expected to meet tight deadlines.
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