Parklands High prepares ahead for reopening of school

With schools set to reopen on June 1 for Grade Seven and 12 learners, Parklands High School confirmed that it was ready to go back to class.

This is after Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga recently announced that they will start with Grade Seven and 12 learners and small schools.

In her address, she said that other grades will follow in due course and that schools must adhere and observe the health and safety protocols. Like many other schools, Parklands High School disinfected and deep cleaned classrooms, desks and computers.

Tommie Stoltz, the principal, confidently said that they have plans in place to suit the reopening of schools.

“We are now waiting personal protective equipment (PPE) to be delivered and we will be good to go and health safety precautions have been prioritised. “Our classrooms will be sanitised thoroughly in the morning and after school. We decided that our teachers are the ones going to change classes, not our learners,” he said.

They will ensure that everybody gets screened before entering the school and will have to go through a sanitising tunnel.

Stoltz told the RECORD that they had to make major changes, but they were ready for the return of learners.

“This has tremendously changed things especially for the Further Education and Training (FET) phase, because of the subject choices. Time tables have now been sorted and teachers are also on board to welcome the learners. We have also extended our school times and we are going to use a staggered way of teaching,” said Stoltz.

Some of the changes include minimising the number of learners in a classroom and teachers willingly teaching across all grades.

He also told the RECORD that since schools closed they committed to teaching their learners on online platforms.