Over 70 schools not ready for re-opening
"Most of our schools are ready to resume, with the exception of those still in need of water and sanitation. PPE has been distributed in all the schools, as required".
Lolo Madonsela
A total of 76 schools in AbaQulusi were still not ready for re-opening on Monday, June 8, due to lack of water and proper toilets.
55 schools were still without water supply, while another 21 did not have toilets, even though Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) had been distributed to all 160 schools (including five independent schools).
Presenting his report to the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) on Covid-19 on the state of readiness, Education Inspector Mxolisi Ntshangase said there was a challenge because some teachers had not been attending school as required since the announcement that they had to go back on June 1.
Also read: Besterspruit Primary gears up for re-opening
“Most of our schools are ready to resume, with the exception of those still in need of water and sanitation. PPE has been distributed in all the schools, as required. However, teachers with underlying conditions will not return to school,” said Ntshangase. With the re-opening of Grade 7 and 12, Ntshangase said there was no need to get substitute teachers in place of those who will not be returning to school due to underlying conditions.
“Once other grades re-open, there will be a need for substitute teachers, but for now, there is still a pool of teachers since we are opening only Grade 7 and 12. We will continue to monitor the schools, as hand-washing basins are still being distributed, and also ensure that the schools with JoJo tanks are being refilled,” he said. Ntshangase also confirmed that all schools have security guards, except for Gelekedle and Lenjane schools. The department is still working on ensuring that security guards are stationed at these schools.
Allegations that a large amount of PPE “disappeared” en-route to Zululand District schools were found not to be true.
According to the report from the District Command Committee (DCC) on Covid-19, Zululand has two district warehouses and the inspectors only went to one warehouse, which was James Nxumalo, only to find that the PPE had been delivered to the warehouse at the district office.
The DCC also found that even though the department was still busy with the distribution of PPE, Zululand was in (PPE) surplus.
Make sure you follow us on our social media platforms for regular updates
