Reopening of schools: what has been confirmed (and what not)
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is expected to reveal the final plan for resuming the 2020 school year tomorrow.
Much uncertainty surrounds the reopening of schools as South Africa moves to level 4 lockdown on 1 May. A draft amended school calendar has been discussed during a digital parliamentary meeting by Portfolio Committee on Basic Education but it subject to final approval by the National Command Council. The final plan is only expected to be presented on Thursday, 30 April.
When will schools reopen?
Schools will reopen in phases but there is still no clarity on the exact date. In terms of the draft proposal, school will start on 4 May 2020 for the teachers and 6 May for the Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners.
Deputy minister of basic education Reginah Mhaule, however, said at the parliamentary meeting that the plan is for Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners to return to school on 18 May.
In terms of the proposed plan, Grades 6 and 11 will resume schooling two weeks after Grades 7 and 12, followed by Grades 5 and 10, Grades 4 and 9, Grades 3 and 8 and Grades 1 and 2 in two-week intervals.
Will the mid-year exams still go ahead?
How are school holidays effected?
The July and September holidays will be shortened in terms of the proposed plan. The terms in the proposed plan are:
• Term 2 to run from 6 May to 26 July
• Term 3 to run from 3 August to 23 September
• Term 4 to run from 28 September to 9 December
It is not clear how these dates will be affected should the second terms not start on 6 May.
What safety measures will be implemented to protect my child?
Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news.
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
