2
www.thevillagenews.co.za
6 May 2020
Plans underway to reopen public schools Writer De Waal Steyn
T
he big question of when and how the 2020 academic school year will resume has been partially answered by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga’s announcement last week. Regarding the ‘when’, she said schools would reopen in phases, starting on 1 June with the Grade 7 and Grade 12 classes. However, the details of the ‘how’ remain to be seen, as the minister also stressed that the reopening of schools will be subject to the implementation of strict hygiene and social distancing protocols. According to Motshekga, the final call will be made in conjunction with the National Command Council. Until such time, teachers, learners and their parents in the Overstrand are trying their utmost to ensure that schooling in some form continues from home. Hermanus High School Principal, Greg Hassenkamp said that during the lockdown the school has opted to implement distance learning. “This has required supplying all our pupils with the necessary resources and assistance to continue with the school's educational programme despite the fact that the pupils are at home. “One of the obstacles experienced in the roll-out of the distance learning programme is the lack of data and
wi-fi for a number of our learners. We would like to thank three companies who have come to our aid and made it possible for us to supply all our Grade 9 to 12 learners with data. ValueChainSolutions, FinGlobal and Mack’s Petroleum are making a huge difference in the lives of our learners, and the value of their contribution and continued support for the school will never be able to be measured,” Hassenkamp said. In addition, Food Lover’s Hermanus and an anonymous donor are also sponsoring data for the 2020 matriculants and teachers at Qhayiya Secondary School in Zwelihle. According to government, the following is proposed for the adjusted school calendar for 2020: • Office-based staff to return to work on 4 May. This is in line with the directive from the Department of Public Service and Administration; • School management teams should return to work on 11 May to ensure that all preparations at the schools are done prior to the return of learners; • Teachers return to work on 18 May to prepare for the remaining curriculum; and • Grade 12 and Grade 7 learners go back to school on 1 June. Before announcing the proposed school calendar, Motshekga stressed that risk assessments in each province, district and school would inform
decisions to reopen institutions. She reiterated that the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) primary concern was the health and safety of all pupils and, as such, staunch social distancing measures would be implemented in schools. Safety measures contained in the plans include: • Physical distances in classrooms must be maintained, with not more than 2 learners at a desk; • Screening of learners and educators will be done at the reopening of schools; • Temperature checks will be administered, and learners or staff members who present with raised temperatures will be considered for isolation and testing; • No hugging or handshaking; • Direct contact must be avoided; • Cloth masks to be worn by learners and teachers at all times; • No mass public events. All sports matches, choral practices and festivals, eisteddfods are not permitted; • Extra classes should be arranged in small groups that maintain social distancing; • Classrooms must be sanitised prior to the start of every school day; • Learners must sanitise their hands on entering classrooms; • The movement of learners must be limited between classes; and • No clustering of desks in classrooms. • In conjunction with the Depart-
• • •
ment of Transport, all buses transporting learners must be sanitised prior to the start of all trips; Everybody to sanitise hands on entering of buses; The distance between learners in the buses must be managed; and The wearing of masks throughout the school day, starting before boarding transport, is compulsory.
During her address, Motshekga noted that, because of the disruptive nature of lockdown, exams initially scheduled to take place in May and June have been postponed until November 2020. The exams were due to be written by more than 350 000, mainly part-time candidates. The minister said: “Due to the lockdown, we have not been able to complete our preparations, which include the printing and distribution of questions papers, the appointment of invigilators, markers, and the general readiness of marking centres. “The examinations will, therefore, be merged with the November examinations. We estimate that 1,1 million candidates will sit for the end-of-year matric examinations in this merged format, which includes the Amended Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate. A new timetable for the merged examinations will be communicated urgently, as part of preparing the system for the biggest matric examination ever seen in the country.” According to Motshekga, the depart-
ment is acutely aware of the virus’ disruptive, and potentially dangerous, impact on the nation’s education system. “We serve more than 13 million learners and the anxiety that has resulted from the major problems we experienced is highly understandable. Our guiding principle is ensuring safety, protecting lives and lowering the infection rate,” she said. Motshekga added that, following the announcement of the national lockdown, the Council of Education Ministers agreed to focus on a catchup programme, and double their efforts towards the promotion of learning and teaching in homes; and towards the preparation of a catchup programme for when the children go back to school. “The department has used 123 radio stations, and six different television channels to assist learners. The initiative was put in place as an intervention to bring curriculum lessons to households across the country to assist learners as schools remain closed.” Motshekga urged parents to continue paying school fees as this has a direct impact on the ability of the schools to pay the salaries of teachers appointed by the governing bodies.
The Level 4 rules for getting back to work Writer De Waal Steyn With several businesses getting the green light to start operating again under Level 4 restrictions, Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi last week gazetted official workplace rules. The regulations, which include general injunctions to minimise the number of workers through shift rotation and remote working, are immediately in force and will remain so until South Africa's national state of disaster is called off. Companies are called upon to "minimise contact between workers as well as between workers and members of the public". All businesses that are trading must comply with the regulations and the practical implementation thereof or they may face fines, or worse. Companies with fewer than 10 employees face a much less onerous set of rules than their bigger counterparts. And those with more than 500 employees have their own special requirements. For instance, large companies must submit a written risk assessment and accompanying policy to the department of labour. Small companies, meanwhile, have only eight real rules to follow: • Employees must either be 1.5 metres apart or have physical barriers between them. • Those showing symptoms of COVID-19 may not be allowed to work. • The employer must phone the national COVID-19 hotline in case of trouble. • Employees must have cloth masks. • Everyone must have access to soap and water, and sanitiser that can be used on hands and the surfaces of workstations. • Employees must be made to wash and sanitise.
• •
They must also disinfect workstations regularly. Companies must "take any other measures indicated by a risk assessment".
Employers are also responsible for physical distancing (or social distancing) and must use queue systems or something similar to keep people apart, including in canteens and toilets. Measures "may include dividing the workforce into groups or staggering breaktimes to avoid the concentration of workers in common areas". Companies must screen workers when they report for work – for "any of the observable symptoms associated with COVID-19", listed as: • fever • cough • sore throat • redness of eyes • difficulty breathing The regulations do not specify what level of medical training is required for the person or people doing the screening, but other parts of the rules require self-reporting by employees, with employers only responsible for impressing on workers that they must report symptoms. Companies are now obliged to report to both the Department of Health and the Department of Employment and Labour if an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19. They must then investigate the cause of infection, "including any control failure" in the workplace. If an employee shows symptoms while at work, it is now the duty of the employer to provide an FFP1 surgical mask and transport the employee "in a manner that does not place other workers or members of the public at risk". The company
is also responsible for ensuring the worker is then tested.
who are 60 years or older; and staff with comorbidities who will be required to stay at home or work from home; Arrangements for staff in terms of sanitary and social distancing measures and facilities at the entrance and exit to the workplace; Arrangements for customers or members of the public, including sanitisation and social distancing measures.
While certain forms of shared electronics can be used if sanitised regularly, fingerprint identification systems are not allowed, unless they can be made "COVID-19-proof". Also, only paper towels are allowed and "the use of fabric towelling is prohibited".
•
According to the regulations, each employee must get at least two cloth face masks free of charge, for use both at work and while commuting. "An employer must make appropriate arrangements for the washing, drying and ironing of cloth masks". Those masks must comply with the brand-new SA government guidelines for face masks. (Read more on P9)
Companies must keep a copy of their plan around for inspection and must have a designated COVID-19 compliance officer under the general regulations. The regulations state that all employees should, prior to commencing work, complete a travel history report and employee health disclosure, and such documents must be kept on file.
Businesses now also have a template for COVID-19 workplace plans, which reads: A COVID-ready Workplace Plan must be developed prior to the reopening of an enterprise employing persons or serving the public.
All employees should regularly wash their hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds and dry with the paper towel provided. Used paper towels must be discarded in a separate bin. Employees should also sanitise their hands regularly with alcohol- based hand sanitiser, with an alcohol content of at least 70%, after contact with any person or after contact with frequently-touched surfaces.
For small businesses the plan can be basic, reflecting the size of the business, while for medium and larger businesses, a more detailed written plan should be developed, given the larger numbers of persons at the workplace. The plan for medium and large businesses (10 employees and more) must include the following: • The date the business will open and the hours of opening; • The timetable setting out the phased returnto-work of employees, to enable appropriate measures to be taken to avoid and reduce the spread of the virus in the workplace; • The steps taken to get the workplace COVID-19 ready; • A list of staff who can work from home; staff
•
Employees must ensure that all equipment, stationery, and tools are thoroughly cleaned and sanitised after using them and no handshakes or other physical contact is allowed between employees or employees and clients. Where possible, employees should wear their face masks or other facial protective equipment and are not allowed to take it off. For a complete return to work toolkit, visit www.neasa.co.za. Sources: Business Insider, NEASA
