Executive council postpones overseeing of the reopening of schools
New dates for executive council visits to schools will be announced.
Following the announcement by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga that learners will report back to school on Monday, 8 June, the executive council visits to oversee the reopening of schools scheduled to take place today have been postponed.
This week will now be used for the orientation and training of teachers, and to ensure the readiness of each facility for the arrival of learners.
New dates for executive council visits to schools will be announced.
The Council of Education Ministers (CEM) met on Saturday, 30 May, to assess the state of readiness for the reopening of schools.
The CEM received a report from the consortium of service providers, co-ordinated by the National Education Collaboration Trust, on the External Evaluation and Monitoring of the state of readiness. Rand Water, as an Implementing Agent delivering water to 3 500 schools, also presented its report.
The Heads of Education Departments Committee (HEDCOM) also presented its technical report. All three reports converged on the fact that a substantial number of schools would not be ready for the reopening on 1 June, although tremendous progress had been made by most provinces, which overall reflected an 80% state of readiness.
The CEM was concerned that, in some provinces, personal protective equipment for learners, in particular, had not been received. Additionally, some schools were not ready for the arrival of teachers and learners.
The CEM then took decisions, which have since been shared with teacher unions, school governing body associations, independent schools’ associations, the SA Human Rights Commission, Principals Association, South African National Association for Specialized Education, and other stakeholders. Meetings took place to share the outcome of the reports and the proposed course of action.
The decision was taken that schools would reopen on 1 June, for School Management Teams, Teachers and Non-Teaching Staff only, to prepare for the arrival of learners. Provincial and district officials were told to ensure that health, safety and social distancing requirements are strictly adhered to when teachers arrive.
The date on which Grade 7 and 12 learners have to report back to school is now next Monday, 8 June.
The CEM have received reports that indicate that some learners in boarding schools have already arrived. They urged these schools to continue with the orientation of the learners in terms of the health and safety procedures that should be in place.
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