First term of academics wrapped up on a high note
“The successful conclusion of Term 1 of the 2021 academic year has emboldened our resolve to deliver quality education to all learners in our province, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. "
Schools across Gauteng ended the first term on a high note “despite some challenges”, education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has said.
Lesufi said some of the highlights included the completion of online placements, the reactivation of the paperless classroom programme and the distribution of mobile classrooms to manage overcrowding.
“We are proud to declare that we have placed all grade 1s and grade 8s and plans for the 2022 online admissions are steaming ahead,” he said.
He called on parents whose children were still not placed to urgently contact their district offices for assistance.
We opened the 2021 school calendar on 15 February 2021, with many uncertainties which were brought about by the new normal of delivering quality education during the coronavirus pandemic.”
“Many parents were not sure whether they should allow their children back to school as this unseen enemy called Covid-19 continues to ravage our communities. The majority of parents heeded our call and released their children for the 2021 academic year,” he said.
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Around 2.3-million learners were said to have gone back to school and expected to return on Monday, 3 May 2021, at the beginning of the second term.
Lesufi said the department had since repurposed its information and communication technology (ICT) investment from being classroom-based to catering for more virtual learning as one of its responses to Covid-19.
Virtual classrooms were also expected to be introduced and streamed live through smartboards in ICT-enabled schools while full ICT schools enable interaction during these lessons.
“The pandemic has compelled the system to adjust to the new normal to prevent disruption to teaching and learning.
“Technology provides for an alternative platform for curriculum delivery with more agility and adaptability to address the educational needs of the learners more specifically and on point,” he said.
The department distributed 162 mobile classrooms to various schools around the province since the reopening of schools, just over three months ago.
Despite the strides made in the delivery of school infrastructure, Lesufi said their challenge continued to be criminal elements – in the 2021 academic year, 381 incidents of vandalism, break-ins and arson were reported around the province.
The cost for rehabilitative work at these schools reportedly stood at R211-million.
“The successful conclusion of term 1 of the 2021 academic year has emboldened our resolve to deliver quality education to all learners in our province, even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We support the initiative by basic education minister Angie Motshekga to consider bringing back all primary school learners in term 2 as we strongly believe that the current rotational system is disadvantaging learners,” Lesufi said.
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