Community closes schools in Mahushu
The only reason for forcing the children out of the classrooms and having the schools closed, is because Covid-19 has found its way to the area.
“Ramaphosa, talk to Angie. Tell her to close the schools and release our children.”
These were the demands of fed up community members and parents who disrupted teaching and learning by closing down seven schools within the WhiteHazy Circuit on Monday.
They said their only reason for forcing the children out of the classrooms and having the schools closed, is because Covid-19 has found its way to the area.
Read: Local schools working hard to make sure Covid-19 is not admitted
“I can confirm right now that there are teachers, principals and learners who have already tested positive for coronavirus. Our concern is that those individuals are taking the virus back home and infecting everyone else, and soon the entire community will
test positive.
“This is the reason why we are calling on government to shut down all schools until it is safe for learners to return to classrooms,” said Martha Khoza.
She argued that government is gambling with children’s lives. “What is even more worrying is the fact that the very same government is telling us that the virus is ruthless and spreads easily during this season.
Also read: Community shut down seven schools in WhiteHazy Circuit
“What we don’t see is our government and politicians opening up parliament and operating as usual, but it expects learning and teaching to take place,” she argued.
At some of the schools where they drove learners out of their classrooms, they were met with fury as teachers tried to make them understand the importance of letting the children remain in school.
The community threatened violence and the teachers were left with no choice but to abide. When released, some of the learners joined the community and sang revolutionary songs.
“Our focus now is to have all schools within this circuit closed until September. We will mobilise all our forces until this happens. We are not afraid of being arrested or victimised because this is a matter of life and death. Our children’s lives matter and we will not sit and watch government use them as experiment objects.
Also read: Robbers and vandals hit Mpumalanga schools hard
“We want to call upon every citizen and every parent in the province to join the movement that we have started and shut down all the schools in their areas. The taxi operators stood up and fought for themselves. It is time we also do the same for our children,” she fumed.
The Department of Education in the province has voiced its disappointment in the manner in which communities and parents approached the situation.
“What we can say as a department, is those parents who are still not comfortable with sending their children back to school must apply for the homeschooling programme through the proper channels and allow those who are comfortable with their children returning to classrooms, to do so in peace,” said the provincial spokesperson, Gerald Sambo.
He said they are working with the Department of Health and have since developed standard operating procedures for all schools to indicate the daily routine amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have procured all the necessary safety packs for all our learners and teachers to ensure that they all remain safe. We have also made sure that all our schools are supplied with masks, thermometers, PPE and sanitisers,”
he stressed.
