Student union calls for stricter Covid-19 compliance at schools
"The health and safety of learners must be a priority and those schools that cannot ensure their safety should close."
The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) called for stricter Covid-19 compliance at schools, as the number of cases continued to rise in the country.
Cosas general secretary Tebogo Magafane said schools not complying with virus regulations must be closed.
“The health and safety of learners must be a priority and those schools that cannot ensure their safety should close,” he said.
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“Cosas is concerned about saving the academic year, especially because this has a direct impact on our future as learners. However, this should never be at the expense of learners and teachers. There can be no compromise on Covid-19 regulations at schools.”
The number of confirmed national cases passed 80 000 on Wednesday. Magafane said this was worrisome for school pupils as several schools also recorded Covid-19 positive cases. Last week, there were 56 such schools in Gauteng.
Magafane proposed that government should consider taking grades 7 and 12 to educational camps, while other grades should wait for the peak in infections to subside before returning.
“However, before they can embark, health and safety measures should be implemented. Everyone should be tested. This is one of the things government can look into,” Magafane said.
He added that the daily rise would eventually affect schools. Schools reopened on 1 June for grades 12 and 7.
Since then, several schools have closed throughout the country due to confirmed cases. Schools, however, continued to operate despite this and Educators Union of South Africa members going to court in an attempt to halt their reopening. Numerous court actions by political leaders and teachers’ unions have also been launched to halt the reopening of schools amid Covid-19.
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