Private schools support 100% return to schools. File picture
DURBAN - THE National Alliance of Independent Schools Association (Naisa) has supported the return of 100% of the pupils where schools, especially independent schools, can observe all Covid-19 protocols.
The Department of Basic Education (DoE) is looking at the feasibility of returning all primary school pupils to school and doing away with the rotation system.
Naisa spokesperson Mandla Mthembu said that as long as schools could provide enough space for 1.5m social distancing, temperature checking, adherence to all personal protective equipment such as masks, and the sanitising and washing of hands, then they would be good to go.
He said they supported the need, where necessary, for the DoE in each province to check and verify each school’s readiness to accommodate all their pupils without putting them at risk of infection.
“Life must go on and education must go on, on all platforms, including online and any means necessary to prepare and equip our pupils for the future – as long as schools take care of all health and safety protocols and directions.
“We all must do our best to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and stop a third wave. Saving lives must always be the priority,” said Mthembu.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union raised concerns about classroom space and the fact that classrooms were overcrowded, suggesting that the department would have to ensure that all Covid-19 regulations were adhered to before deciding on the 100% return of all primary school pupils.
The Educators Union of South Africa (Eusa) has rejected the department’s proposal.
Eusa president Scelo Bhengu said the union felt the proposal was a “baseless” one as the country was still under lockdown.
“This shows that the danger of death and infections is still eminent, and with the new cases of the Indian coronavirus strain being reported in South Africa, as well as us being in winter, we believe we should not rush into any decisions yet. Basic Education should, like the whole country, observe the behaviour of the virus this winter and allow international events to guide them.”
Bhengu said the department had not conducted any research, nor had it interviewed teachers to investigate this matter.
“They are doing what they did in 2020, by consulting university professors who have never even been to the classrooms in this lockdown. The problems they are highlighting now are long-standing challenges that pupils and teachers have been facing even before the pandemic. The pandemic has not brought any major problems for Basic Education, it just exposed what they have been hiding or ignoring all these years.”
Bhengu said teachers were coping with this new arrangement. He suggested that the department look into ways to support schools, especially teachers and pupils.
sne.masuku@inl.co.za
Daily News
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