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Minister Angie Motshekga expects on Monday to present the sector’s final plans regarding its so-called phased approach to enable the resumption of teaching and learning in the country.
FILE: Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga. Image: Kayleen Morgan / EWN.
JOHANNESBURG / DURBAN – The Department of Basic Education said it needed more time before it could report specific details about the resumption of teaching and learning.
Minister Angie Motshekga wants to make sure there is enough detail and preparation on when schools can safely reopen as the country faces the coronavirus.
Parents will have to wait a little longer now to get answers on the government’s gradual approach to reopening schools.
Minister Motshekga will now convene a special meeting of the council of education ministers to consider the progress made towards the reopening.
“The purpose of the meeting will be to consider the work done by the provinces this week, including the delivery of the necessary COVID-19 Essentials as preconditions for the reopening of the schools,” the department said in a statement Friday.
On Monday, provincial education MECs reported that not all schools were ready to open their doors yet and requested more time while waiting for the delivery of materials such as personal protective equipment to providers.
“We agreed at our meeting on Monday that it takes a week to finish pending. So on Monday (May 18) we will meet again to review the progress made and then inform the public about the state of readiness. A lot of work has passed and we are happy with the progress reported in the last meeting, but we need confirmation of the deliveries that the provinces were waiting for, ”said Motshekga.
The Department of Basic Education said there were some challenges with PPE deliveries, leading to the cancellation of some contracts with service providers.
Motshekga is expected to present the state of the department’s readiness to the public next Monday.
School management teams were scheduled to return to work this week, however this has been suspended in most provinces as they are not yet fully prepared.
In his speech to the nation on Wednesday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “We will immediately begin a consultation process with relevant stakeholders on a proposal that by the end of May most of the country will be placed at the level alert 3, but those parts of the country with the highest infection rates remain at level 4. ”
The director general of the Department of Basic Education, Mathanzima Mweli, said that the implementation of the risk-based differentiated approach of the basic education sector in the reopening of schools would be assisted by the president’s speech.
“We will convene a special meeting of the heads of the education departments of all the provinces and the minister will meet with the MEC on Monday to discuss the progress made. Thereafter, we will announce to the public. No one is experienced in handling a crisis of this magnitude, so we follow expert advice on why we should be extremely careful how to proceed at each step, ”he said.
CONSTITUTIONALLY SOUND PLANS
As pressure mounts for the basic education sector to make concrete proposals for the reopening of schools, Equal Education is calling for plans that are constitutionally sound.
Equal Education said in the past two weeks on Wednesday that inconsistent and contradictory information had been communicated about the reopening of schools in the country, causing confusion and anxiety.
The groups said they expected Motshekga to provide details on Monday of what teachers, caregivers and students should expect in preparation for the reopening of schools.
Equal Education’s Noncedo Madubedube said they also wanted clarity on the implications that some grades are likely to be kept at home for an extended period of time.
“We need clear plans that detail resources for students at home, while we have a phased support approach to teaching and learning.”
The group said it expected the department to make its final plans public to ensure transparency, accountability, and a level of trust among parents, students, and teachers.
KZN READY TO RETURN TO SCHOOL
Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education said it could resume teaching and learning as soon as it got the go-ahead from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Motshekga.
However, the South African Union of Democratic Teachers (Sadtu) calls for differences.
Sadtu Provincial Secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said the department has so far failed to disinfect schools, provide protective equipment for education and students, and hire additional staff to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
Eyewitness News He understands that KZN’s education department plans to start delivering protective gear to schools over the weekend and was busy organizing work permits for principals and senior management teams so that they could begin preparing the schools before they resume. some classes in June.
However, Sadtu said that no teacher would return to school until the department met their demands.
Caluza said: “There is no school that becomes infected, schools must receive PPE. If that is not done on June 1, there will be no workers to return to school. “
Meanwhile, MEC Education Kwazi Mshengu said its department would require R1 billion from the Treasury to ensure the safety of all students and educators for the rest of the year.
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