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www.thevillagenews.co.za
Bumpy road back to school Writer Hedda Mittner
I
t was a question of “hurry up and wait” as the Western Cape schools reopened for Grade 7 and 12 learners on Monday morning 1 June, despite another U-turn by the government at the eleventh hour. Educators and parents nationwide were anxiously awaiting Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga’s press briefing that was due to have started at 18:00 on Sunday evening, before being abruptly cancelled and postponed until 11:00 on Monday morning.
Social media immediately erupted with agitated parents wanting to know what this meant: do they send their children to school in the morning, or not? And what about the boarders who had already been dropped off at their boarding schools earlier on Sunday? One comment on Facebook read: “I’m so confused, my child’s confused, her teacher and principal are confused. I’m trying my utmost to console my Gr 12 daughter right now. We are angry, frustrated, infuriated, disappointed and discouraged. Angie, can you just make a decision and stick with it!!!” About an hour later came another announcement from the national education department: the reopening of schools had been postponed by a week and “the date on which Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners have to report back to school, is 8 June 2020.” The reasons given for this astonishing aboutturn included the fact that a substantial number of schools in the country were not ready for the arrival of learners and staff and that, in some provinces, schools had not received the required personal protective equipment (PPE) because suppliers had run out of stock. Water tanks had also not been installed at several schools lacking basic water and sanitation infrastructure. It had already been widely speculated over the weekend that the reopening of schools for Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners on Monday was unlikely. When Minister Motshekga finally took to the stage for the long-awaited briefing on Monday morning, she admitted that the decision to postpone the reopening of schools had already been taken late on Saturday. This followed a marathon of consultations and meetings between Motshekga, the Council of Education Ministers, and representatives of various education unions and school governing body associations. The Minister apologised for the “furore” caused by the late announcement of the postponement, which she justified by saying that she had to spend the whole of Sunday informing the many key stakeholders, including school
LEFT: Hermanus High School Principal Greg Hassenkamp was at the gate on Monday morning to greet the returning matric learners. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer
principals, of the department’s decision before she could hold a briefing. She added that the conclusion that the schools were not ready could only be reached once she had been presented with verifiable data and information that clearly pointed to the fact that not all schools had been able to prepare adequately and that some did not comply with the critical Covid-19 health and safety requirements.
BOTTOM LEFT: Irene du Plessis (middle) with teachers Hannetjie Joubert and Jessica Botha. Irene is a nursing sister and also a parent of the school, who has volunteered to assist with the daily screening of learners and staff. PHOTO: Nanette Ras
The Western Cape Education Department, however, was not having any of it. Shortly after the announcement on Sunday evening that the reopening of schools would be postponed until 8 June, WC Minister of Education, Debbie Schäfer released a statement that Western Cape schools would be open to receive learners on Monday 1 June, in accordance with the Gazette promulgated last week by Minister Motshekga.
ing – instead of focusing on the difficulties we have been focusing on finding solutions. This is new to all of us and we are taking it one week at a time, but we are open to adapting to this new reality. The school will provide a safe environment for our children and I want to encourage all parents to send their children back.”
Following the postponement of the briefing on Sunday evening, Schäfer’s statement said “We can no longer allow our schools to hover in a state of uncertainty. Following the national minister’s earlier announcements, we have pulled out all the stops as a province to ensure that we are ready for the arrival of learners tomorrow. Principals and staff have worked tirelessly to get all the health and safety requirements in place.”
Although there are parents who are, understandably, still anxious about the health risks, Hassenkamp said only a few have applied for exemption for their children. While President Ramaphosa had said earlier that “no one will be forced to send their child to school”, it now appears that the only valid reason for keeping a child at home is a pre-existing medical condition or comorbidity.
The statement confirmed that the Western Cape Education Department had already spent R280 million on PPE and cleaning materials, including 2.4 million masks (two for each learner and WCED-employed staff member), over 7 000 non-contact digital thermometers for the daily screening process, and millions of litres of hand sanitiser, liquid soap, disinfectant and bleach. Learner transport had also been arranged for Monday morning and schools had made preparations for the provision of school meals.
Applications for exemption have to be made to the head of the provincial education department, accompanied by a medical report. In her briefing on Monday, Minister Motshekga also emphasised that parents who chose to keep a child without health issues at home were
“Learners have already begun to arrive at school hostels today, and parents have made preparations to take their children to school tomorrow morning. School staff and WCED officials have been working around the clock to ensure that all plans are in place to receive those learners on time. Given these preparations, and the enormous effort put in by teachers and non-teaching staff alike, it would be unfair to delay all schools from re-opening.” Schäfer went on to say that the Western Cape’s schools were “overwhelmingly ready, including schools that serve poor communities. This has also been verified by the NECT.” This week would be “used primarily for the orientation of learners into the new Covid-19 safety and learning environment.” Hermanus High School had received all the necessary PPE, the school had been thoroughly sanitised and all health and safety protocols were in place, said Principal Greg Hassenkamp on Sunday. “We have an amazing team and my staff members are very positive about reopen-
3 June 2020
obliged to apply for home education. Schools could not be expected to cope with the new challenges of reopening while also continuing to offer distance learning. One mother who has chosen not to send her child back to school, says this means that learners who don’t return will effectively be “dropped” by the school. “Many children are anxious about returning to school and anxiety is not conducive to learning. Distance learning should be an option available to all students, whether they have an underlying medical condition or not,” she says. “If learners were allowed to study from home this would have numerous benefits such as greater social distancing because the classes would be smaller and there would be more space on school buses. This could take some of the pressure off the schools and ensure a safer school environment for both teachers and learners, while also saving on the cost of PPE, sanitisers and paper towels.”
