South Coasters have mixed feelings over reopening of schools
Some parents were worried about their children who were on chronic medication and said for them, home schooling was the only option.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Tuesday this week announced that the National Command Council (NCC) and Cabinet had approved the phased reopening of schools, starting on June 1. This means grade 7 and 12 pupils can start dusting off their school bags, washing their uniforms and preparing to resume classes, while other grades will follow in a phased approach.
“Preparations have taken place and we believe good progress has been made, obviously with the main focus being on saving lives,” the minister said. However, the announcement has been met with mixed reaction from parents, many of whom voiced their opinions on the Herald’s Facebook page, Ladies House Facebook page and various other social media platforms.
This is how some parents have reacted to the news:
Zama Mzotho of Bhomela whose son is a grade 7 pupil said she was was not happy because her son is young and careless. As he still loses his socks and jersey from time to time, she said it was more than likely that he would also soon misplace his mask. Another concern was transport.”How will they get to school as many parents rely on scholar transport? Will they not be forced to take public transport? What happens to their safety then?” she asked.
Thulile Ndelu of KwaNzimakwe said she only has one child and she will not be taking the risk of sending her to school just yet. “She can start afresh next year because I’m really unhappy about this.”
Zee Hlase said, “I’m happy. At the end of the day life must get back to normal. Pupils need to learn, parents need to work. We need to practice safety measures, and educate our children on this pandemic.”
Other parents were worried about their children who were on chronic medication and said for them, home schooling was the only option.
The minister said the department had relied on advice from health experts and experience from other countries in planning for the resumption of the 2020 academic year.
The following key points were made by the minister:
* Every school should adhere and observe all health and safety protocols that will be put in place;
* Pupils and teachers who are in other provinces will be allowed to return to their residences;
* All pupils and staff to receive orientation training;* Sanitisers, masks, water and sanitation are being put in place;
* Cleaning and disinfecting of schools to take place;
* No schools will be without water;
* A trimmed curriculum will be sent to schools for planning purposes;
* A revised school calendar is to be be gazetted soon;
* No school sport activities are allowed;
* The Nutrition Programme will be reopened for all pupils in grades 7 and 12, service providers to adhere to protocols.
* Department of Transport to ensure proper safety protocols are followed. As of yesterday (Wednesday, May 20) the Health Department stats indicated there were 17 200 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country. While 7 960 people had recovered, 312 had died. In KwaZulu-Natal, at the time of writing there were 1616 confirmed infections and 46 deaths.
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