Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga.
- Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga visited schools in Midrand to inspect the return of Grade 6 and 11 pupils.
- She urged pupils to adhere to safety regulations.
- Motshekga admitted to being anxious about the return to school of her own grandchildren, but said she had to accept it.
“Did you miss us? We missed you guys. Are you happy to be back?” Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga asked Grade 11 pupils at the Noordwyk Secondary School in Midrand, Gauteng, on Monday morning.
Motshekga visited to several schools in the area to inspect their readiness to receive Grade 6 and 11 pupils, after 105 days at home owing to the coronavirus lockdown regulations. Grades 7s and 12s returned to school on 8 June.
While the entire country was urged to allow Grade R pupils back on Monday, Motshekga on Sunday said different provinces would be at different levels of readiness for their return. However, she added that all provinces had to “receive” pupils in Grade R by the end of July at the latest.
On Monday, Motshekga urged pupils to stick to safety measures to avoid contracting Covid-19.
Stay safe
Addressing a Grade 11 class, she said: “You have to wear masks all the time, my children. That is the first defence [against the virus].”
Motshekga also urged pupils to maintain social distancing and not to touch or hug one another.
“Not because we don’t like each other, but to be safe.”
She also emphasised that hand sanitation was essential. “Yes, our hands smell like alcohol all the time, but there’s nothing we can do – we have to sanitise because it kills the germs.”
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“Thank you for trusting us with your safety. We are appealing to you to make it easy for us to look after you. Wear your masks, sanitise and social distance,” she added.
On Sunday afternoon, Motshekga announced that the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) had resolved to consider staggering the return of grades – a tactic used by other countries to minimise traffic in schools – while keeping teaching and learning going.
She also said that, since the return of Grade 7s and 12s on 8 June, 2 740 out of 440 000 teachers had been infected with the novel coronavirus.
Infection rate
Minister of Education Angie Motshekga is screened at Seshegong Secondary school in Gauteng ahead of her walkabout on Thursday morning. (Chanté Schatz, News24)
This comprised just 1% of the country’s entire teacher population, she said, adding that in the same period, 1 260 pupils had been infected. This, she said, implied that that 0.01% of pupils had been infected with the virus.
Motshekga also announced that 11 teachers had died of Covid-19, as well as four non-teaching staff members and three pupils.
She said that less than 4% of schools needed to be temporarily closed due to Covid-19 since phase one of the reopening on 8 June.
Motshekga admitted to being anxious about the return to school of her own grandchildren, but added that she had to accept it.
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