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‘COVID-19 second wave adversely affected teachers and marking’

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Basic Education Deputy Minister, Reginah Mhaule, says the second wave of COVID-19 infections has adversely affected teachers and the marking of the 2020 matric exams.

The deputy minister was addressing the media in Pretoria where she announced a two-week delay in the opening of schools.

Mhaule says school management teams will report to school 15 days before learners to check on whether they have enough teachers to start the year.

She highlighted that funerals are the main super-spreader events at which teachers are contracting the coranavirus.

Over 3000 teachers have pulled out of the marking process mainly because of COVID-19 related issues.

Close to 300 of them tested positive for the virus.

The deputy minister says, “Some of our markers have passed away while others withdrew because of anxiety and family members testing positive. In the majority of cases, they attended funerals and ceremonies attended by big groups of people resulting in gatherings not monitored by health protocols.”

The video below, is the deputy minister Mhaule addressing a media briefing:

 

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