No clarity yet on when schools will reopen W hile some local schools are steaming ahead with online learning, learners from government schools and higher education students need to wait a bit longer to hear what will happen to their academic year after a briefing by the government, scheduled for Monday 27 April, was postponed.
ening any existing learning gaps during the remote learning period”.
Last week the Department of Basic Education (DBE) encouraged pupils to continue working on their lessons in partnership with the SABC, telecommunication companies, and even local radio stations which communicate lessons to pupils in all areas of the country.
However, the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), which represents 10 000 members serving the education sector in the Western Cape, said on Monday that a survey sent to all its members in the Western Cape overwhelmingly rejected a return to school until it was safe to do so.
Despite last week’s announcement that the government plans to gradually phase in learning after the lockdown, it seems as if it’s not all plain sailing for the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education. On Monday the Teachers' Union, SADTU said in a press release that parents, students and pupils were still unsure about what Lockdown Level 4 meant for the education sector, but that it believed pupils in some grades would be allowed to return to school. "Above all, we are concerned about the readiness of the provincial departments with regard to the availability of health and safety essentials that have to be put in place in the learning institutions at least two weeks before any activity can take place,” SADTU said, adding that "We need to do our best to avoid wid-
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SADTU General-Secretary Mugwena Maluleke said there was no view towards scrapping the entire academic year and that the union wanted to collaborate with the government to make sure the year could be recovered.
“Most of our members are in favour of the indefinite closure of schools until COVID-19 is brought under control. Some respondents indicated that it was too late to salvage the academic year,” Naptosa said in a statement.
This beautiful photo of Sandbaai was taken by drone about 70 metres up in the air on Sunday morning. It was a warm, wind-free morning with hardly any clouds in the sky. PHOTO: Martin Etsebeth
Cape Whale Coast charity music livestream event Several talented artists from the Cape Whale Coast will take part in a livestream event on Wednesday 29 April at 19:00 to assist with raising funds for disaster relief measures in the area. Hermanus-based comedian Barry Hilton will host the show and make sure there’s a chuckle or two
According to the organisation, social distancing would be difficult to manage if schools reopened and it was therefore in favour of a phased-in approach. Schools need to be deep cleansed; sanitation stations need to be erected and testing facilities, including digital thermometers need to be made available together with facemasks for learners and staff, Naptosa said. At the time of going to press no indication had been given on when the government briefing on the rest of the academic year would take place.
between the music of Frazer Barry and his Tribal Echo band, Betty’s Bay’s Debi Best of In The Mood on saxophone and Alida Venter on keyboard. Everyone is invited to link to www. streamit360.tv or Cape Whale Coast’s Facebook Page @whalewatchingsouthafrica at 19:00 to
watch our first livestream Overberg collaboration. There will be an opportunity to make donations to Relief.Life which has been at the forefront of assisting our communities in need with the assembling, packaging and distribution of food parcels and other necessities.
#binisolationouting Well done to Hermanus High School teacher, Dayne Nel – you are the winner of our #binisolationouting challenge! We just loved your photo and the caption that accompanied it: "As a teacher I miss my kids so much, so I decided to dress like them for this challenge. I'm wearing my original school blazer." We are sure that your learners are missing you, too, Dayne and that they will enjoy seeing these photos of you having a laugh. The Bin Isolation Outing is something that people have been doing around the world during lockdown. Get dressed up before you take out your trash, and then take a video or some photos and post them to the Facebook group below. The hilarious posts provide a welcome dose of humour while we go through this difficult time. Thank you to those who entered for joining in the fun! Visit the Facebook group "Bin Isolation Outing" for more amusing videos and photos of people worldwide.
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