Safety first: Town’s parents against reopening of schools
Concerns about whether adequate hygiene and safety measures will be in place to ensure children are protected from Covid-19.
LYDENBURG – Parents in this town have indicated that they will not be sending their children back to school should a phased reopening be implemented.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News led an online poll to determine whether parents support this proposed decision by minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga and minister of higher education and training, Blade Nzimanda.
Ninety eight per cent of parents on the poll said that they will not support the decision and hence not allow their children to attend school.
Reasons for the non-support include not only the safety of children, but also those who could be secondarily infected in households where their children reside.
Parents said that the decision seems ludicrous given the rate at which the infection in South Africa is spreading. They also said that despite any efforts that might be implemented by schools, children will not understand and adhere to social distancing, wear a mask all day and regularly wash their hands.
A press conference on when and how schools will reopen will be held at 16:00 today.
The proposed dates for reopening are:
• May 6: phased opening grades 12 and seven.
• May 20: grades 11 and six.
• June 3: grades 10 and five.
• June 17: grades nine and four.
• July 1: grades eight and three.
• July 8: grades two and one.
• July 15: grade R.
