Basic education minister Angie Motshekga in her speech has confirmed that schools in the country will open from June 1 2020, as planned.
The coronavirus has brought a lot of trauma and anxiety, education minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday.
Schools will open on 1 June 2020 – Minister Angie Motshekga Speech.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga: there was always certainty that schools were going to open. But we must ensure learners and teachers are safe.
I condemn the vandalism that’s taken place in our schools 1577 have been vandalized, burnt and robbed. This is a real set back.
Senior management teams have received the required equipment.
Opening of schools will happen in the plans outlined. Preconditions of the opening of schools will be met. Orders have been placed and deliveries are beginning to happen. Masks, water and sanitation and sanitizers are things that will be delivered.
Schools will be also sanitized. We urge parents to work with school so that learners with preexisting conditions are addressed and helped.
The virus has forced us to engineer the educations system
All teachers to report to school on the 25th. Provinces say they are ready.
We are working with the Department of transport to ensure all Saftey Protocols are met when learners go to school.
Command council has approved for all schools to open on the 1st of June. Start with Grade 12 and Grade 7. All learners will receive orientation and training
Revised school calendar will be gazetted soon. The 2020 academic calendar will impact the 2021 calendar
The opening early childhood development schools is in discussion. Together with the Department of social development
We acknowledge we’ve had a poor record regarding water and sanitation, but all other projects, eg: building new schools, etc, have been paused to ensure we focus on water and sanitation while working with that specific department.
Grade 7’s will have the whole school to themselves, same goes for Grade 12 learners.
Parents must work with us and declare any children with underlying conditions.
Motshekga: Schools are good for children. If you go to various areas, they are playing around in the streets.
Answering questions, Deputy Minister of Basic Education Reginah Mhaule says we are putting lives first, parents must declare underlying conditions and we will arrange with schools, screening will be done on the daily basis and want children to be safe. We must protect elderly parents.
Deputy Minister Mhaule says parents can decide and say my child won’t go to school and yes parents can do that and matric paper is ready, curriculum can’t be trimmed and outcry is e-learning benefit those in urban areas. So all children must go to school.
Mhaule says from May 25th we are starting the countdown. Some social media experts are crying about delivery of sanitizers and so forth.
Motshekga says they work with experts they monitor international trends, we are also equally concerned and we have to be guided by facts like what’s happening in France and Denmark. We are not negligent and we are guided by experts and had risk assessment.
Related: Angie Motshekga Biography, Profile, Age, Speech, Contacts, Husband
