The Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) says it is still considering taking legal action against the Department of Basic Education over poor infrastructure at several schools nationwide.
EUSA spokesperson Kabelo Mahlobogwane says challenges remain over poor school infrastructure coupled with overcrowded classrooms.
“We were already consulting with our legal team on the prospects of taking the matter to court to try and see if anything can be done to force the Department of Education to prioritise the improvement of infrastructure in schools and other things like the technology they have been promising over the past years.”
“So we are in the consultation stage and we are considering taking legal action against the Basic Education Department,” says Mahlobogwane.
This comes as learners return full-time to classrooms on Monday.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the scrapping of the rotational timetable, which was implemented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has already been gazetted.
The move came after last month’s Cabinet decision to end rotational learning with immediate effect and to remove social distancing measures.
Motshekga updates on the state of readiness for the reopening of schools:
Meanwhile, the National Teachers’ Union (Natu) has welcomed the decision for learners to return to school on the full teaching timetables.
The rotational system which was implemented as part of the lockdown regulations has been suspended.
The union’s acting president Sibusiso Malinga says while they support the decision, they are concerned about overcrowding.
Malinga says, “Teachers cannot teach if classes are overcrowded. We have been told that the social distance has been reduced from 1 metre to half a metre. We are risking the lives of our learners as well as teachers because the President has not yet announced that RSA is now a corona-free country. We are afraid that this might lead to an outbreak as well.”
