‘Don’t stand in way’ of those who want to return – Motshekga confident schools are ready to open
Limpopo, the Northern Cape and North West are some of the provinces experiencing problems with deliveries, which the education department was monitoring
On Thursday, Motshekga visited three schools in Gauteng – Seshegong Secondary School in Olivenhoutbosch, Ivory Park Secondary School in Johannesburg and Hoërskool Kempton Park – to assess their readiness.
‘Clock back lost time’
Motshekga toured each school and was shown each one can accommodate no more than 20 pupils. She was also shown how they would ensure physical distancing and screening when the pupils arrive.
“Northern Cape said to me, because of distance, our service providers will not be able to have delivered by Monday, can we open on the 8th, which is a week. It is fine, what they have to do is clock back lost time, have longer classes [and] whatever they can do to clock back.
“KZN said they can only start on Thursday because they have to do inductions and orientation, here they have everything but are saying they won’t be able to teach on Monday because they have to settle kids. Other schools are saying they will start on the 8th.
“And I am not expecting delays of three months. I am expecting delays of a week at most and I don’t think it’s detrimental because safety has to be the priority. So, if safety is not in place, I don’t think we are prepared to risk anything.”
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Motshekga said she did not expect teaching and learning to resume on Monday and Tuesday as they would most likely be used for induction and orientation to educate pupils and teachers about the new norm.
Hoërskool Kempton Park expects 96% of its Grade 12s to return, while Seshegong and Ivory Park expect all its matric pupils back.
She added no school would be expected to reopen if there were no safety measures in place, something the department would not compromise on.
Motshekga said she was comfortable with the work being done by schools to ensure things would run smoothly on Monday, adding while schools seemed to be ready to split classes, they indicated there would be a challenge once the phasing in of other grades started.
“For now, spacing is not a problem, teaching staff is not a problem. Teaching is not to be a problem. Most of them [schools] indicate that only after phasing Grade 10, the crisis is going to happen.”
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga assesses the water pressure at Seshegong Secondary School ahead of the reopening of schools. (Sesona Ngqakamba/News24)
Settling before phasing in other grades
She added the education department was working with agencies such as Teach SA to employ young teachers with the right qualifications to assist in schools.
Where schools do not have an adequate water supply at the time of the reopening, Motshekga urged the provincial departments affected to make alternative plans.
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“After we have settled, I have given myself up to 15 June with MECs then we start looking at [early childhood development], we start phasing special schools because they are also not going to be very busy and look at other pupils.
“But for now, the priorities are your full-time students without necessarily saying the other part-time students are not important. But I said give us up to the 15th to deal with this first phase, understand what we are going through,” Motshekga said.
